


I'm In Over My Head

by doctornineandthreequarters



Series: Every Breath of Me [6]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Divergence - Spider-Man: Far From Home, F/M, Friendship, Hurt Peter Parker, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, Nightmares, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Precious Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Summer Vacation, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Lives, Training
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-23
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2020-10-27 01:37:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 39,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20752196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doctornineandthreequarters/pseuds/doctornineandthreequarters
Summary: The weightlessness and a lack of restAway from you I'm in over my head-----Peter had hoped that after the vow renewal after everything finally calmed down that things would be okay.He was wrong, of course. Things were far from okay.





	1. Nightmares

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I am alive. Sorry it's been such a long wait for this update. But here you go!

Peter Stark had a secret. And not his Spider-Man secret.

No, everyone important in his life knew about him being Spider-Man, especially after the recent very confusing time-wise events. His after school and occasional weekend activities wasn’t his big secret. No, his big secret was something that if his parents knew, he’d get in a lot more trouble for.

Peter wasn’t sleeping.

It wasn’t like he wasn’t tired. He had definitely nodded off in class a few times. Mr. Harrington either hadn’t noticed or trusted that Peter was smart enough to be fine without that section of notes. Mr. Dell, a new teacher who even though Peter found his presence strange he liked him well enough, had caught him dozing off in class. Unlike Mr. Harrington, he hadn’t been cool with it and made Peter stand up for the rest of the time (which Peter preferred over cold calling on him for whatever he had been lecturing the class about). Ned had had to poke him a few times in Robotics Club and Band, especially when he almost started drooling on his music one day. And MJ had resorted to chucking paper balls at him every time he dozed off in Decathlon.

So, he definitely was tired. He just didn’t want to sleep.

Every time he closed his eyes, his brain had a new horror for him. It was worse than after Homecoming. He had been dragged into space by aliens, faded out of existence in his dad’s arms, nearly died on a battlefield, and almost lost his dad. And his brain seemed only interested in reminding him of all of this. It hadn’t happened right away. He had been too busy feeling out of place and lonely in his own home. But after the vow renewal, things were fine for a few weeks. Peter had hoped that after the vow renewal after everything finally calmed down that things would be okay.

He was wrong, of course. Things were far from okay.

And then the nightmares started.

He remembered the first night he woke, shaking and gasping for air, terrified of every shadow of darkness in his room. He very quickly realized his dad had not reset FRIDAY’s alert systems as he had sat in the darkness, trying to calm himself down and no one showed up to check on him. But knowing his dad, those alerts were going to go back into place soon. And Peter had an awful feeling that his nightmares and fears weren’t just going to go away.

So, he had to get creative.

An easy solution was Morgan. She loved bedtime stories and seemed to really want Peter to tell her stories. So, Peter would happily tell Morgan stories, until she literally couldn’t keep her eyes open. But his sister was four and went to sleep relatively early. Peter would then hang around the kitchen or the living room, helping Pepper with dishes or making his lunch for school or just generally talking to his dad. But eventually, he would be sent off to his room with the expectation that he would go to sleep. From there, Peter had a list of things he could do to stay away.

The first one was leaving the light on. That one was a must; Peter couldn’t be afraid of the shadows if they weren’t there). The second was to do his homework. He even would sometimes get a head start on homework that wasn’t due for a while. The third option on the list was patrol. If he could be out on patrol, he’d stay out for as long as possible. Eventually Karen would tell him he had to go home or his dad would call him. And if all else failed, Peter would read. Peter discovered that reading could keep him up for a while. Sometimes it was a fiction book that had been lying around his room forever. Other times, he would re-read papers his dad or Bruce had written, making notes to himself on ideas or questions he had regarding their research (including Bruce’s new paper on bringing together his two halves which Peter found oddly fascinating).

He wasn’t sure how he was managing to get away with his lack of sleep. In the past, he knew his dad always made sure he was asleep, whether it was checking on him or just standing by the door. But since he had used the stones, his dad slept a lot more. He knew it was important to his recovery, but Peter found it odd that his dad was sleeping so much. This was the guy that used to stay up all night in his lab, tinkering on projects. His mom didn’t seem to mind, but then again, she had been scolding his dad about his sleep schedule since before Peter was born. Perhaps, in a different time, his dad might’ve noticed sooner. But Peter was seemingly getting away with barely sleeping on weeknights.

But he knew his luck was going to run out soon. 

“Tired kiddo?” The whole family was sitting on the couch watching a movie. It was Friday night and his dad had determined Friday’s were going to be family movie night. His dad had really done a lot in the last few weeks to make sure Peter didn’t start feeling like he didn’t belong again. Peter had been fighting back a yawn when his dad had spotted it. 

“Just a reflex,” Peter said. Morgan, who was squished next to him on the couch looked up at him. “I think someone else made me yawn because she did first.” He poked her stomach and Morgan stuck her tongue out at him. 

“Uh uh,” Morgan said. “I’m not sleepy.” Peter just scooped her up, so she was sitting on his lap and Morgan giggled. Tony just smiled watching the two of them. He was in awe of his two kids every day, even more so now that he actually got to see them together. Morgan adored Peter and hung onto his every word. And Peter was clearly made to be an older brother with how he took care of Morgan. It was truly incredible watching the two of them together. 

“Well I think we all should get some shut eye,” Tony said, reaching for his cane. He had decided against a brace similar to Rhodey’s and opting for using a cane instead. “Because someone has a training session with the head spider in the morning. And, we need to do some routine maintenance on the Iron Spider suit.” They were spending the weekend at the Tower, instead of the cabin, because of Nat’s training schedule. She wanted to train Peter as she hadn’t truly had the chance before. Wanda was tagging along as well, because she stuck close to Nat. Tony wondered if it was her way of coping with losing Vision, but he felt wrong in asking.

“Can Petey tuck me in and read me a story?” Morgan asked.

“You, little miss,” Pepper said. “Are up way past your bedtime. So, it’s right to bed with you.” Morgan pouted but Pepper stuck to her guns and scooped the child up.

“Night mom,” Peter said as Pepper carried Morgan off to her room. 

“You need to get to bed as well,” Tony said. Peter nodded, even though he didn’t want to go to sleep, and got up. He helped his dad up, even though his dad was needing less and less help every day. He spent most of his days in physical therapy. He was going to need the cane for the rest of his life, but so long as that was a very long time, Tony would willingly take that over the alternative. 

“You okay kiddo?” Tony asked as they made their way towards Peter’s room. “You’ve just been…what’s the right word here…quiet I suppose.”

“Just a lot on my mind,” Peter said. “School, decathlon, band, robotics. It’s a lot.”

“You can talk to me about all of it, you know that, right?” Peter smiled a little and nodded. They reached Peter’s door and Tony sighed a little. “I love you bambino, don’t you ever forget that.” 

“I know dad,” Peter said, before gently hugging his dad. Tony tugged him closer with the arm that wasn’t balanced on the cane. He pressed a kiss to the side of his son’s hair. “I love you too.”

“Good,” Tony said, letting him go. “Now get some rest. You know how Nat is when people are sleepy during her training sessions.” Peter nodded and then headed into his room. He sighed and leaned against the closed door. He listened carefully as he heard his dad head down the hallway. Once he reached his own room and the door shut, Peter let out another sigh.

There was no way he was going to sleep.

* * *

Peter looked around in fright, searching for someone, anyone to help him. But all he saw was darkness.

“Hello?” He called out, hoping someone could hear him. “Hello!” But there was nothing. He felt his chest tighten and the hairs stand up on his arm. He slowly turned around, feeling like something was there.

And then the gauntlet with the stones was in his hands.

He could see the ships above him, aiming down at him. He let out a yelp as he dove away and cowered in fear. He couldn’t fight down the frightened shouts this time as he prayed that none of the blasts would hit him.

He was going to die here. He wasn’t going to make it.

* * *

“Peter!” Peter woke with a start, feeling the panic clawing up his chest as his dream still held onto him. “Breathe bambino, breathe.” He sucked in deep breaths as he regained his bearings. He wasn’t on the battlefield being rained down by gunfire from alien ships. He was in his room, sitting in his bed. He looked around and spotted Pepper by the door. Her hand was by her knee, and through the darkness, he could see Morgan poking her head past their mother’s hand. His dad was sitting on his, trying to calm him down. 

“Wha…What happened?” He asked, wondering why they were all there. 

“Lights FRI,” Tony said. The lights came on gently and Peter could better see the look of concern on his dad’s face. “Morgan got out of bed and heard you screaming. She came and got us.” Peter looked down at his lap, embarrassed. “Kiddo, what’s wrong?” Peter didn’t say anything and Tony sighed.

“Morgan no,” Peter looked up as Morgan somehow got around Pepper and into the room. She ignored Pepper and ran over to the bed, pulling herself up quickly. And then she was squished against Peter’s side, hugging him. 

“Do you want Platy back?” Morgan asked, her voice small and innocent. Peter looked down at Morgan and smiled sadly. 

“But then who will keep you safe when you’re scared?” Peter asked. Morgan shrugged and Peter hugged her, kissing the top of her head. “You keep him, Mor. What’s going to help me is saying what’s wrong.” He looked up at his dad and then at Pepper. Pepper walked into the room and sat down next to Tony.

“Go ahead sweetie.”

“I don’t want to sleep,” Peter said. “Because every time I try to, I just keep seeing something so horrible and frightening that I just don’t know how to deal with.”

“What was tonight’s?” Tony asked gently. 

“D-During the battle,” Peter said. “I-I got the gauntlet from T’Challa and I j-just needed to protect it. And I-I was fine at first. Mom helped me and Thor’s friend on the Pegasus helped me. But then, all the ships started firing at me. A-and t-there was nothing I could do.” He felt tears bubble out of his eyes. “I-I t-thought I was going to d-die.” Tony just pulled Peter closer to him. Pepper reached out and gently brushed a few tears off his cheek as Morgan continued to hug him. 

“But you didn’t,” Tony said gently. “Danvers got the gauntlet and you were okay. You are okay. We all are.” Peter just nodded.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you what was wrong,” Peter said. “I just…I thought I could handle it.” 

“By not sleeping?” Tony asked. “God, you really are my son.”

“What your father means,” Pepper said. “Is that keeping yourself up to avoid your problems, isn’t healthy.” 

“I know,” Peter said, a sadness to his voice.

“Kid we’re all here for you,” Tony said. “We’re never too busy or tired or injured to be here for you, okay?” Peter nodded. “And how come FRIDAY didn’t tell me about this sooner?”

“I don’t think you put your old protocols back in place,” Peter said. Tony sighed.

“FRIDAY,” Tony said. “New Protocol; alert me anytime either of my children wake up in the middle of the night. Call it the Worried Parent Protocol.” Peter chuckled a little, earning a smirk from Tony.

“Done boss.”

“Good,” Tony said. “Because it’s our job to help you through something like this. To help both of you.” Peter nodded and glanced at Morgan who was staring at him.

“Are you feeling better now Petey?” Peter smiled at her and then looked at his parents. He felt bad for not telling them the truth sooner, but it was clear they were more concerned than upset. He smiled a little and nodded.

“Yeah Morgan,” Peter said. “I am.” Maybe he’d still have the nightmares. And maybe he’d need to sleep with the light on for a while. But he had his family there to help him. And to him, that mean everything was going to be okay. 

“Good,” Morgan said, hugging him.

“Alright little miss,” Pepper said. “Back to your own bed.” Peter leaned down and kissed the top of his sister’s head, earning a big smile from her. Then she got out of the bed and took Pepper’s hand. “Get some rest if you can sweetie.” Peter nodded and then Pepper left the room with Morgan.

“I’m going to call Nat,” Tony said.

“No dad,” Peter said. “Don’t cancel. I need the training.”

“I know that,” Tony said, moving so he was sitting next to Peter. “But it’s a little after three and you need more than six hours of sleep. So, I’m just going to tell her to push her training time back. She’ll understand.” Peter nodded, a hint of embarrassment creeping up. “We’ve all been where you are kiddo. It’s okay.”

“Okay,” Peter said. “Are you going to stay here until I fall asleep?”

“You know me so well, bambino,” Peter smiled a little and rested his head on his dad’s shoulder. “Lights on?”

“Yes please.” Tony nodded and kissed the top of his son’s head. “Thanks dad.”

“Anytime bambino.” And he meant it. Living five years without Peter, it had been an unending hell. But he had his son back and he would so anything to protect him and make him feel safe. And if that meant waking up at 3 AM to check on him, Tony would do that. Anything along those lines was worth it; Peter was worth that and more to him. He stayed there for a while, even after Peter’s breath evened out and it was clear his son was asleep.

“Tony.” He heard Pepper’s gentle voice and looked up. Tony slowly got up, taking care to not disturb Peter. He then made his way over to the door. He glanced back at Peter as Pepper gently leaned against him. 

“He’s going to be okay,” She whispered. 

“I know.” He then nodded to the hallway and they left the room. Tony closed the door, making sure to leave the lights on and then followed Pepper down the hallway.

Peter was going to be okay. They all were. Of that Tony was certain.


	2. Training Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You’re no fun.”
> 
> “That’s not what Lila says.”
> 
> “Well Lila doesn’t have to be trained by you.”

Peter was tired the next morning. Even with the extra sleep, he knew he was going to be fighting back yawns during Nat’s training session. He didn’t want to be rude, but he was still pretty exhausted.

“маленький паук,” Peter shook his head and smiled sheepishly. “Fall asleep again and you’re sparring with Wanda. With no rules.” Peter pouted and glanced over at the older girl, who just smirked at him.

“You’re no fun.”

“That’s not what Lila says.”

“Well Lila doesn’t have to be trained by you.” Nat just chuckled and nodded to the punching bag in front of Peter. Peter sighed and attempted to remember the intricate combination Nat had instructed him on.

By the look on her face, he hadn’t done it right. He bit back a sigh, feeling bad for messing up again. Nat was about to say something, but Wanda cut her off.

“Maybe a break?” She offered. Nat glanced at Wanda before nodding and stepping out of the room. Peter found the nearest wall to lean against and sat down. He leaned his head against his hands. He was tired from a long night and he was starting to beat himself up for not training properly.

“Have some water.” He looked up to see Wanda offering him a water bottle. He took is as she sat down opposite of him. “We’ve never really talked, have we?”

“No,” Peter said, after drinking the water. “There was that one time you thought I was breaking in. And then there was Germany.”

“That feels like a lifetime ago,” Wanda said, looking out the window. “Everything was simpler then.” Peter finished the water and place the bottle down. He could see a sad look pass over Wanda’s face.

“How do you do it?” Wanda looked back over at him. “How do you just…go on after something awful happens?”

“I’ve been through a lot,” She said. “I’ve lost pretty much everyone close to me. I still have the team and Nat. And Clint and his family have been kind to me.”

“But how do you just,” Peter started, trying to figure out how to phrase the question. “Be okay?”

“Do you want to know a secret Peter?” The teenager nodded. “We’re not okay. All of us, the Avengers, the people around us, we’re not okay. We’ve all been hurt and lost people and it’s a lot of pain. But we have to keep going. We have to fight through it because there’s no other option.” A sad smile crossed her face. “I wouldn’t be doing the memory of my brother or Vis justice if I just gave up. So I keep going, even when it hurts, even when I don’t want to…”

“Even if nightmares come?” Peter asked and Wanda nodded.

“You keep going,” She said gently. “Because that’s what being a hero is. And that’s what people need us to be. Even on our worst days, people still need heroes like Spider-Man.”

“Or the Scarlett Witch.” Wanda raised an eyebrow. “That’s what people call you. You never officially chose a name, so that’s what people went with because of the glowing.” Wanda smiled a little.

“I like it.” Peter smiled. “You’re a good guy Peter.”

“Thanks.”

“No, I mean it,” Wanda said. “And you’re good because of who raised you.” Peter raised an eyebrow. He was always under the impression that Wanda didn’t like his dad very much. At least that was the impression his dad had given him. “I wish I had known you back then. Or at least known about you. I think I would have been…less harsh, I guess, towards your dad. Because everything I thought would’ve been wrong if I had just met you.”

“Can’t change the past,” Peter said. “Can’t mess with time or it messes back.” Wanda laughed mirthlessly and nodded.

“Yeah.” Peter was surprised by her admission. But maybe the losses Wanda had been through had helped her see his dad in a different light. Either way, it was nice to hear. “Now, how about I show you how to do that combination right?” Peter nodded and stood up, before offering Wanda a hand. “You know, I see why Lila likes having you as a friend.”

“She’s pretty cool too.”

“I’ll relay the message.” Peter chuckled and then Wanda nodded to the bag. And then they were back to training.

* * *

Tony was sitting in his lab when he heard someone walk in. He looked up to see Nat.

“Training already over double agent?”

“Peter needed a break,” Nat said, sitting down across from Tony. “Wanda’s talking to him.”

“Is he okay?” Tony asked.

“I think you can answer that better than I can.” Tony sighed and looked at Nat.

“He’s having a rough time,” Tony said. “Something keeps happening that keeps him from really feeling like everything is going to be okay. And when these things keep popping up, it makes me feel like a terrible father.” Nat reached out and gently patted his hand.

“What’s happening to Peter isn’t any indication of you as a father,” Nat said.

“He was on that spaceship because of me,” Tony said, his voice growing thick with regret. “He was on Titan when he should’ve been at school. He shouldn’t have been there.”

“I don’t think it would’ve mattered where Peter was,” Nat said. “Whether he was with you or not, I think he would’ve…you know.” Tony sighed. “And as for that part of you that says he shouldn’t have been Spider-Man in the first place…”

“I wasn’t…”

“You were,” Nat said. “I can see it in your eyes.” Tony sighed. There was a part of him regretting letting his son keep being Spider-Man. Clearly Nat knew him too well. “When I met Peter all those years ago, he talked about how you were his hero. And not just because of the suit you wore. Peter was inspired to become Spider-Man because of the kind of person you were and still are. He’s a hero because of you Tony. So, while yes, seeing him in pain might be hard, the answer isn’t to wish it all away. The answer is to help him so he can keep being the hero we all need.”

“Thanks Nat.” She smiled a little and nodded.

“We need to keep the young blood so that I can eventually join you and Steve in retirement.” Tony chuckled. “It’s kind of why I wanted Wanda to train with him. I think they can both learn something from each other.”

“I’m glad she pushed her hate for me aside to help my kid.” Nat shook her head. “What?”

“She doesn’t hate you Tony,” Nat said. “She was young and made mistakes. You know what that’s like.”

“Low blow.”

“Fair blow.” Tony rolled his eyes. “She doesn’t hate you. And she certainly doesn’t hate Peter.”

“I don’t know how anyone could hate my kid.” Nat chuckled at that. “But thank you Nat. For the pep talk and for training my kid.”

“He deserves some good training.” Tony gaped at her and Nat chuckled.

“You should go before I have Dum-E kick you out of the lab.” Nat looked over at the bot which whirred around a little. She shook her head and smirked.

“I have to get back to work anyways.” She got up. “Maybe pop by the gym later. I have a feeling Peter’s going to have a better afternoon of training.” And then she left the lab. Tony watched her go before glancing over at his desk. There were various photos on the desk, most containing pictures of Morgan and Peter. Tony pushed his chair over to the desk and picked up one of the photos. It was one of him and Peter, before the snap. They were working in the lab. Pepper had snapped the photo because Peter and Tony hadn’t noticed that she was there. Tony was smiling and passing a wrench to Peter, who was laughing at something his father had said. Tony smiled to himself looking at it.

Maybe Peter was going to have some hard times. But it wasn’t about regretting what happened or time that was missed. It was about finding those little moments, the moments when they were all happy. Tony knew that his family, especially Peter, needed more moments like this.

“FRIDAY, ask Pepper to come down to the lab,” Tony said. “I want to run something by her.”

“Of course, boss.” And Tony smiled to himself, already formulating a plan.

* * *

Peter ducked as Wanda sent a jab towards his face. He saw another punch coming and rolled to the side. He hopped up quickly and set a side kick into her, sending her stumbling backwards. He threw a few jabs, which she easily dodged, before he swept her leg, causing her to hit the mat.

“Nice one,” Wanda said with a smirk. He nodded and helped her up. They both turned towards Nat, who nodded in approval.

“Good work,” She said.

“I thought I was coming down here for a fight.” They all turned to see Tony walking into the room. “Instead I see smiles and good sportsmanship.”

“Next time,” Nat said. She glanced down at her watch. “Wanda and I need to get going anyways. маленький паук, keep practicing.”

“Will do!” Nat smiled a little before heading out of the room. “See you next time Wanda.” She smiled and nodded before following after Nat. Peter sighed as his dad tossed a bottle of Gatorade towards him.

“Drink up,” Tony said. “We have to keep that spidey metabolism from crashing.” Peter nodded and opened the bottle. “Training went well?” Peter paused from drinking.

“Started kind of rough,” Peter said. “Got better after I had a chat with Wanda. She’s actually really cool.”

“Glad to hear it,” Tony said as Peter walked over to him. He wrapped his good arm around Peter. “So, I was thinking about something. Christmas is in a few weeks and I had an idea. How’d you like to celebrate Christmas in Malibu?”

“Like Malibu, our old home Malibu?” Tony nodded and Peter smiled. “That sounds great dad!”

“Yeah?” Tony asked and Peter nodded. “Well your mom loves the idea. And Morgan’s four, so she’s in no matter what.”

“It’s going to be great dad,” Peter said. “I can tell Morgan all about growing up there.” Tony smiled and ruffled Peter’s hair before pulling him close enough so he could kiss the top of his head. “I love you, dad.”

“Love you too bambino.” And they both smiled, feeling a little better than they had the day before. And that was all that Tony could really ask for.


	3. Christmas in Malibu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’ve got homework Mo,” Peter said. Morgan pouted. “Hey, hey, don’t give me the face. As soon as I finish, I don’t have any other work to do. So that means I’ll be free the whole time we’re in California.”
> 
> “Promise?”

Peter sat on the plane working on a paper. It was the holidays and yet he had homework to do. The worst part was he was pretty sure he had done the paper before when he had originally been a junior five years ago. But then the snap happened and now he and his friends were repeating their junior year. It was weird and confusing and he tried not to think too hard about it.

He sighed to himself, focusing back on his paper. He needed to finish it. He did have the flight to California to finish his paper, which was his goal.

“Petey!” But he also had four-year-old sister who really wanted his attention. She tugged on his pant leg to get his attention. “Petey, play with me.”

“I’ve got homework Mo,” Peter said. Morgan pouted. “Hey, hey, don’t give me the face. As soon as I finish, I don’t have any other work to do. So that means I’ll be free the whole time we’re in California.”

“Promise?” Morgan asked. Peter smiled and nodded. “Okay! Uncle Happy!” Peter chuckled as Morgan ran over to Happy.

“Here sweetie.” Peter looked up to see Pepper handing him a pair of headphones. “Might help you focus.”

“Thanks mom.” She smiled as he turned the headphones on and went back to work. Pepper then walked over to where Tony was sitting. He wrapped his arm around her as she sat down next to him.

“Our kids okay?”

“Peter’s working and Morgan wants someone to play with,” Pepper said. Tony glanced over at Morgan who was running around as Happy chased after her. “You know, there was a time when Peter used to do that.”

“And you used to be worried about Happy,” Tony said with a smirk. “But he’s still kicking.” Pepper laughed lightly at that. Tony smiled and leaned over, kissing her softly. She smiled into the kiss, her hands landing gently on his face. Tony fought back a sigh, wishing there wasn’t an arm rest in between them. All he wanted was the be as close to his wife as possible.

“Can you two stop?” They pulled away, remembering they were on the jet. Tony looked over to see Peter making a face.

“Say it kid,” Tony said with a smirk. Peter’s face matched his father’s.

“Way to just suck the fun out of it,” Peter said, sticking his tongue out. He pushed his headphones back and got back to work. Tony just chuckled as Pepper wrapped her arm around his.

“This is going to be a good vacation,” Pepper whispered. And Tony just nodded, a genuine smile on his face.

* * *

“Daddy, mommy!”

“Mo, sh.” Tony groaned as he slowly rolled away from the comfort of Pepper. The very loud voices of his children were waking him up.

“But it’s Christmas!”

“Are you going to tell our children it’s too early, or should I?” Pepper mumbled. Tony slowly opened his eyes. Through his exhausted eyes, he could see Peter holding Morgan.

“Sorry,” Peter said. “I think little miss over here heard Happy when he left to go get May and Rhodey.”

“It’s Christmas!” Morgan said excitedly. “Present time!”

“We have to wait until everyone’s here.”

“And for your parents to be awake,” Tony said. “Pete, can you and Morgan have this conversation outside?”

“Sure, sorry mom and dad.” Peter then exited the room with Morgan. Tony sighed and rolled back over, wrapping his arms around Pepper’s waist. She rolled closer to him, nuzzling her nose into his neck.

“We have to get up.” Tony groaned and Pepper chuckled. “We have to. Morgan’s clearly impatient to open her presents.” Tony groaned again. “It’s not my fault somebody wanted to continue what they started on the plane.” Tony chuckled and kissed her. “Tony.”

“Fine.” Pepper slowly removed herself from him and stood up slowly. Tony watched her, a smile on his face. “God you’re beautiful. The most beautiful woman in the world.”

“You married me, you don’t have to keep buttering me up.” Tony stood up slowly, grabbing his cane. “Need a hand honey?” Tony waved her off and slowly pulled himself up. Once he was up and balanced, Pepper was already standing in front of him.

“And this is why I continue to butter you up,” Tony said. “Because you deserve it and because I love you.”

“I love you too,” Pepper said before kissing him gently. “Now let’s go check on our kids. God knows what mayhem Morgan is causing.” Tony chuckled and nodded, before leading the way out of their room.

* * *

“Present time!” It was about an hour after Morgan and Peter had woken their parents up. After they had come out of their room, Tony and Pepper had made breakfast for Peter and Morgan. They had made pancakes and Peter had begun to tell Morgan about their Sunday tradition of always having pancakes. Morgan seemed to love the story, which made Tony beam with pride. After breakfast, Happy arrived with May and Rhodey. Which signaled Morgan that it was time to open their presents.

“Lead the way little miss,” Tony said as Morgan ran from the kitchen into the adjoining living room. Though the original Malibu house was long gone, Tony had selected a house with a view of the water, just like his old house had. The windows in the living room weren’t as massive as the ones of the original house, but they did look out onto the water and the beach.

“Peter why don’t you sit by the tree to pass the presents out,” Pepper said and the teenager nodded. As soon as he sat down, Morgan situated herself next to him. Peter pressed a kiss to the top of her head and Morgan giggled. It seemed most of the presents under the tree had Morgan’s name on it. There were a few small presents for each of the adults in the room. Peter couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow as Happy handed May a small gift, but he decided not to question it.

“Concert tickets?” He looked over at his dad who was opening a gift from Rhodey. “Thanks Platypus.” Rhodey smiled and nodded. “Pete, you’re going to be on babysitting duty that night.” Peter nodded as he watched Morgan tear into her presents and shriek with glee at them. “Kiddo. I think there’s one more gift there.” Peter craned his neck and saw a small box near the center of the tree. He reached over and grabbed it. His name was written on it, in his dad’s handwriting.

“Go on, open it,” Tony said with a smirk. Peter opened the small box to find one key and an accompanying clicker.

“Dad, is this…” He stared at the key. “Did you get me a car?” Tony just nodded. “Seriously? Dad that’s so awesome!” He got up and crossed the room to his dad before hugging him.

“You’re going to have to learn how to drive it of course,” Tony said. “But that’s half the fun.”

“Dad this is just…” Peter struggled to find the right words. He stared at the keys in awe. “A car, really?”

“It was the right time.” Tony didn’t mention that he had always hoped to give Peter a car for his seventeenth birthday. But then the snap happened and Tony thought he had lost his son for good. This present was just making up for something he didn’t get to do ages ago. Peter nodded and went back to sit down. Morgan was chattering about her gifts, but Tony just watched Peter. He was still staring at the car keys, an awed smile on his face. Tony just smiled.

“I think he likes it,” Pepper whispered to Tony. Tony chuckled and nodded. Peter looked up at his dad and smiled a watery smile. Then he looked back at Morgan, trying to subtly wipe a few tears away. And Tony was pleased that his son loved the gift so much.

* * *

“This trip was amazing dad.” The Stark family was walking down the beach, enjoying their last day in Malibu. Pepper and Morgan were ahead of them, as Morgan was collecting seashells. Rhodey had only stayed the day of Christmas before having to head to DC for work. May had stayed a few days, taking the chance to catch up with Peter on school and his life. But she eventually had to head back for work as well. Tony had then given Happy the last few days of the holidays off, so it was just the four of them.

“I agree kiddo,” Tony said, wrapping his arm around his son. They both stopped and stared at the water and the sun as it slowly began to set. “Do you ever miss living here?”

“Sometimes,” Peter said, glancing over at his dad. “But I miss our old house more than anything.”

“Yeah, me too.” Tony smiled over at Peter. The old Malibu house had a lot of good memories. And it was nice to remember them, especially when they made Peter happy. “I mean, even before the house was gone, we didn’t do Christmas here too often.”

“Yeah because you always let me spend Christmas with May and Ben,” Peter said. “Even when Ben wasn’t too nice to you.”

“He warmed up to me eventually.” Peter chuckled and nodded. “For a while, we were short on family. And Mary, your biological mother, she wanted May and Ben to be a part of your life. So, I was happy to, even when Ben was secretly hating my guts.”

“Not so secretly.” Tony chuckled and ruffled Peter’s hair. “Now we’re definitely not short on family.”

“No, we are not.” For as much as they had lost, they had also gained so much more. For the first time in what felt like forever, Tony had a long list of people he could rely on. And he was tremendously grateful for that. “We’ve got a lot of family now bambino.” Peter smiled and Tony kissed the side of his head. Morgan then came running over, followed by Pepper. Peter bent down and picked her up with ease.

“Mommy and I found lots of pretty shells,” Morgan said. “But she said we should keep them here so other people can find them too.”

“Mom’s really smart like that,” Peter said, earning him a smile from Pepper. “And now you guys can watch the sunset with us.” Morgan nodded and wrapped her arms around Peter’s neck, holding onto the hood of sweatshirt tightly. Pepper walked around so she was standing on Tony’s other side. Her hand rested gently over Tony’s hand, which was holding onto his cane. Tony looked at his family and smiled, happy to be with all of them in that quiet moment.

“We should take a picture,” Peter said, breaking the silence. “Before the sun goes down.” Tony smiled and nodded. Peter used the hand that wasn’t holding Morgan up to dig his phone out of his pocket. Their parents moved closer to them as Peter stretched his arm out.

“Everyone say cheese.”

“Cheese!” Everyone smiled as Peter took a few photos. When Peter put his phone away, Tony pressed a kiss to both of his kid’s foreheads.

“If I haven’t said this enough lately,” Tony started, but Peter cut him off.

“You love us,” Peter said with a smile. “We love you too dad.” And Morgan nodded, a big smile on her face. Tony chuckled and nodded.

“Let’s get back before it gets too dark,” Pepper said, taking Tony’s free hand in hers. Peter and Morgan led the way, Peter and Morgan talking about what movie to watch when they all got back. Pepper gently squeezed Tony’s hand and he looked over at her.

“Good vacation?” He smiled and glanced back at their kids. He nodded and she smiled back.

It had been the best and most must-needed vacation.


	4. Morgan's Fifth Birthday (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Do you two have any idea what day it is?” Peter looked at his dad. It took a second before realization dawned across both of their faces
> 
> And then Peter’s eyes went wide.
> 
> “It’s Morgan’s birthday!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait. My new job has been kind of a nightmare. But if you follow me on Tumblr, you already know that. Anyways, enjoy!

“Let’s tighten the screw there.”

“Phillips or flat head?”

“Phillips, bambino.”

Tony and Peter were working in the lab. They had both lost track of time ages ago. Tony was starting to get back into his old need of tinkering. But the thing he wanted tinker with was his arm, so he needed an extra set of hands. Not to mention, when Peter was focused, he was a very capable helper.

“Boys!” They both looked up at the sound of Pepper’s voice. “Do you have any idea what time it is?” The father and son glanced at each other before Peter checked the watch on his wrist.

“Apparently, it’s 5:30 in the morning,” Peter said sheepishly. “Dad, is this the first time you’ve not slept through the night since the battle?”

“Yes, it is,” Tony said with a smirk. “Usually I conk out at around 2.” Tony had been sleeping like, as Pepper put it, a normal person since coming home from the hospital. But the stronger he got, the more his old ways started to kick back in. Pepper huffed and tapped her foot impatiently. “Something wrong honey?”

“Do you two have any idea what day it is?” Peter looked at his dad. It took a second before realization dawned across both of their faces

And then Peter’s eyes went wide.

“It’s Morgan’s birthday!” Peter nearly leapt out of his seat, realizing he almost forgot it was his little sister’s birthday. He had made a promise to himself when he started growing closer to Morgan, that he would do everything he could to make her next birthday amazing, since he had missed the previous four.

Now was his moment.

“Easy bambino,” Tony said, a small smile on his face. “We’ve got everything taken care of.”

“I didn’t…” Peter started, his ears heating up in embarrassment. “I didn’t get her anything.” Pepper walked over and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“Sweetie, you don’t have to get her anything,” Pepper said. “You’re her brother, that’s enough.”

“Are you sure?” Peter asked. “I just…I feel like…” He didn’t know how to put it into words.

“You want to make up for lost time.” Peter looked over at his father, noticing a slightly sad look on his face. Realization dawned on Peter. Did they feel that way with him after all the time he missed? “Bambino, we get it. But focus on the now, not what was missed.” Peter took a breath and nodded.

“Having a big brother is the best gift for Morgan,” Pepper said, gently fixing his hair. “Now why don’t you go get some rest. Once our birthday girl is up, it’s going to be all hands on deck.” Peter nodded. He wasn’t sure he felt better, but he decided to try and not worry about it. Pepper kissed his forehead and then Peter left the workshop.

“I didn’t think he’d feel like that.” Pepper walked over to Tony. His hands snaked around her waist, pulling her closer to him. Naturally, her hands went to his shoulders. “I didn’t think he’d want to make it up to Morgan for missing so much time.”

“He’s a lot like you,” Pepper said. “That’s why you bought him a car. That’s why you let him come down here whenever he wants. You both want to fix what we all lost. But you don’t have to. You’re both right here.”

“I know,” Tony said. A part of him knew he was being silly. Everything was okay. They had all made it through the blip and battle mostly fine. There was no need to worry. But Tony also knew there were always more problems out there, especially with his son still swinging around New York saving the day.

“Then believe it,” Pepper said. “Do what you told Peter.” Tony nodded and stood up slowly. “He has and always will look up to you. He does what you do.”

“To the detriment of my health.” Pepper laughed lightly. “I’ll try. You know I’m a mess when I’m worried.” She gently ran her fingers through his goatee.

“You don’t have anything to be worried about,” She said gently. Tony nodded and kissed her gently. Pepper pulled away and smiled at him. “Now come on. We have a breakfast to make for our birthday girl.”

“Oh, so Peter gets to sleep and I get put to work?”

“Uh huh.” Tony just chuckled and shook his head before following his wife out of the workshop, deciding to table his concerns for another time. Today was about Morgan anyways.

* * *

“Petey!”

“Oof.”

Peter was woken up from his all too brief nap by Morgan launching herself onto him. Peter fought back a groan, because it was Morgan’s birthday and he didn’t want to upset her. So, he just sat up slowly and looked at Morgan. She was grinning from ear to ear.

“Mo, you look different,” Peter said, pretending to inspect her. Morgan giggled. “Now, what could be different about you today?”

“It’s my birthday!” Morgan said excitedly and Peter faked a gasp. “I’m five today!”

“Well happy birthday to my little sister,” Peter said before kissing her on the top of the head. He stood up and then picked her up. “And how should we celebrate such an important day?” Morgan giggled, but shrugged. “I bet mom and dad have something special planned. Let’s go find out!” Morgan nodded and Peter headed out of his room, still carrying Morgan. She threw her hands around his neck, a big smile on her face. When they reached the common room, she attempted to wriggle out of Peter’s arms. Peter put her down as Morgan ran over to her parents.

“There’s my birthday girl,” Tony said, picking Morgan up. Peter noticed his dad grimace a little, but still hold her tightly. Tony pressed a kiss to Morgan’s cheek. “Happy birthday little miss.” Morgan smiled and kissed her dad’s cheek back, earning a chuckle from Tony. As Tony walked over to the kitchen table, moving a little slower, as to not hurt his injured leg. Peter walked over to the kitchen and stood next to Pepper.

“You guys did a lot while I was asleep,” Peter said. “I could have helped.” Pepper glanced at Peter and smiled.

“You know,” She said, fixing some of his hair. “Happy is picking up Rhodey, who’s flying in from DC and then getting the cake. If you want to go with and maybe get something for Morgan, you can.” Peter smiled and nodded.

“Thanks mom.”

“Now will you grab the orange juice and your dad’s coffee?” Pepper said. “Morgan’s patience is still a little minimal.”

“Stark genes,” Peter said with a smirk. “We don’t know how to sit still.”

“Don’t I know it,” Pepper said, earning a chuckle from Peter. He then turned and grabbed the two items before heading over to the table. As he sat down at the table, next to his sister, he started to think about what she might like.

* * *

Peter smiled to himself as the car Happy was driving pulled back into the Tower. He had gotten Morgan, what he thought, was the perfect birthday gift. It was sitting on his lap, wrapped with a bow on top. Happy was sitting up front driving and Rhodey was sitting next to him, holding the cake.

“I think Morgan’s going to love that,” Rhodey said, nodding to the gift.

“She’d love anything from Peter,” Happy said as he pulled into his usual spot. “You’re her favorite kid.” Peter smiled and shrugged. His little sister did seem to really love him. But he loved her too. That was family. The three of them got out of the car and headed towards the elevator. As soon as they were in the elevator, FRIDAY spoke up.

“Peter you have guests in the lobby.” Peter raised an eyebrow, confused as to what was going on.

“Lobby FRI,” Peter said. When they reached the lobby, he looked at over at his two uncles. “I’ll be up in a second.” They nodded and he stepped out. It was the weekend, so the lobby was pretty quiet. He didn’t see anything that would tell him what was going on.

And then he spotted his friends.

“Oh crap,” He muttered under his breath. He walked over to Ned, MJ, and Betty. It was then that he remembered they were supposed to study for Decathlon that day. They had discussed it all week, as they had a big meet coming up soon. But of course, as soon as Peter realized it was Morgan’s birthday, everything else went out of his head.

“Sup dork,” MJ said, with a nod. “Ready to study?”

“Um about that,” Peter said. He would’ve wrung his hands, if he wasn’t holding the present. MJ noticed the box and raised an eyebrow. “It’s Morgan’s birthday.” MJ smirked a little, a slight eye roll crossing her features.

“Peter I’m your best friend so I say this with hopes that you remember that,” Ned began. “But I think you’d forget your head if it wasn’t attached to your body.” Peter shrugged, a little embarrassed.

“Oh, Neddy bear leave him alone,” Betty said. “You three can study another time.”

“Yeah it’s not like Peter isn’t going to get all the Physics questions right anyways,” MJ said. She sent a small smile towards Peter and he felt his stomach do a few flips. God MJ was pretty. “You enjoy your sister’s birthday.” They started to go, but Peter stopped them.

“Wait,” He said. Ned, Betty, and MJ turned back towards them. “I mean, you guys came all the way down here. Why don’t you stick around?”

“Really?” Betty asked.

“That would be so cool!” Ned said. He turned towards Betty. “You’re going to adore Morgan, she’s the sweetest kid on the face of the Earth.”

“Are you sure we can just crash your sister’s birthday?” MJ asked with a raise of an eyebrow.

“Not crashing if you’re with me,” Peter said, nodding towards the elevator. His friends followed and they were quickly heading up to the penthouse. When they reached the penthouse, Peter could already hear voices floating down the hallway. He led his friends towards the noise.

He smiled to himself seeing the decorated room. There was a table with presents, where he placed the box he was holding.

“Kiddo,” He turned to see his dad approaching. “Happy said you got a little lost on the way up.” Tony glanced past Peter and noticed the trio behind him.

“I um forgot that I was I had told them we could study for Decathlon today,” Peter said. “So, I hope it’s okay they’re up here.” Tony smiled and ruffled his son’s hair.

“More than okay,” Tony said, moving to stand next to his son. “Ned, always a pleasure.”

“Hi Mister Stark!” Ned said with a happy smile.

“And it’s been a little while,” Tony said, glancing at the two girls. “But, Betty and MJ, right?” Betty nodded a pleased smile on her face and MJ just shrugged. “Well there’s more food than should be for a five-year-old’s birthday and if it gets too noisy or you smarty-pants actually want to study, the labs are always available.” He patted Peter’s shoulder before walking away.

“I know I’ve met your dad before,” Betty said. “But it feels different after…you know…”

“He nearly died saving the universe?” MJ asked. Betty nodded and Peter winced a little. “Sorry.”

“No, it’s fine,” Peter said. “I just don’t like…reliving that.” He gulped a little, an uncomfortable look on his face. He did still occasionally have nightmares about the battle or losing his dad. He knew Betty didn’t mean to upset him, but he could feel his chest tightening just thinking about it.

Luckily, he was knocked in the chest by a familiar hug.

“I have been looking for you everywhere!” He felt some relief as Lila tugged him into a hug. She hugged him tightly and brought her voice down to a whisper. “You looked a little off.”

“Thanks,” He whispered back. She let go of him and smiled, before noticing the others. Ned just smiled and waved but MJ and Betty looked confused. “Oh right. Guys, this is Lila. Lila, you remember Ned.”

“Hey,” Ned said with a wave.

“Nice to meet you in person and not over a webcam,” Lila said with a smile.

“And this Betty and MJ.”

“Hey,” Lila said with a small wave. Betty smiled, but Peter noticed a strange look cross MJ’s face.

“So, how do you know Peter?” Betty asked. Lila went to speak, but Ned excitedly cut her off.

“She’s Hawkeye’s daughter.” Betty’s eyes widened but MJ’s face stayed even. It was like she was sizing up the younger girl, which Peter found odd. But then again, even when the tall brunette made his stomach flip in knots, her behavior was dark and odd most times. He tended to like that about her. But Lila was his friend. He trusted her implicitly. He just wanted his friends to do the same.

Fortunately, they were interrupted by Morgan.

“Petey!” Morgan came running over, wearing a brand-new dress and a plastic tiara on her head. Peter scooped her up with ease and kissed her cheek.

“Hey Mo,” Peter said. “Having fun?”

“Mhmm,” Morgan said. “I was playing a game with Nate! And then mommy said it was almost time for lunch.” Peter smiled.

“Well then lead the way birthday girl.” Morgan pointed the way and Peter started walking, figuring his friends were still following. He was confused about MJ’s interaction with Lila, but he decided not to pry for now. It was his little sister’s birthday after all.


	5. Morgan's Fifth Birthday (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter sat at the table, as everyone sang to Morgan. Morgan had, of course, chosen to sit on Peter’s lap. Peter couldn’t help but smile at his little sister. It blew his mind how open and welcoming she had been. She just accepted him as her brother, no questions asked. And he adored her. He couldn’t believe there was a time he didn’t feel that way. She was amazing and sweet and he was lucky to have her for a sister.

Tony smiled to himself as he saw everyone mulling around the penthouse. It was clear Morgan was having a good time, which was the most important piece of the day. Peter seemed to be enjoying himself as well. The inclusion of his friends from school had been a surprise, but Tony was fine with them sticking around. He did have to warn Clint not to mention Spider-Man, since the two girls in Peter’s friend group didn’t know his secret, but Clint understood.

Said friends of Peter were hanging out by the couch, while Peter was playing with Morgan. He smiled watching his two children interact. He made his way over, ignore the slight twinge of pain that appeared every so often. He reached the couch where Ned, his girlfriend Betty, and MJ sat. Peter was sitting on the floor with Morgan, Lila, Nate, and Cooper, the group building Legos.

“I just think it’s a really cool idea,” Tony glanced over at Betty, over-hearing her conversation. “Mr. Harrington said the Decathlon team gets first pick, but since I’m class president, I’ll get selected too.”

“It would be pretty romantic,” Ned said.

“I don’t know why the school would trust a bunch of high schoolers in Europe anyways,” MJ said, looking up from her book. “I mean, the drinking age is like sixteen there. Wouldn’t most irresponsible high-schoolers drink?”

“You know we go to the nerdiest high school in all of New York, right?” Ned countered, to which MJ rolled her eyes. “Besides, you don’t have to go.”

“Oh I’m going,” MJ said. “You think I would miss out on gothic architecture?”

“I sometimes forgot how odd your sensibilities are.”

“It’s a gift.” Tony pursed his lips, trying not to butt in. What was this trip they were talking about?

“Sorry I got distracted,” Peter said, walking over to his friends. “Oh, hi dad.” The group sitting on the couch turned around. Ned waved enthusiastically to Tony, as he always did. Betty still seemed a bit shell-shocked to be around him, even though she had met him a few times. And MJ’s face remained neutral, which seemed to be a normal quality of the curly haired girl.

“Hey kiddo,” Tony said. “I was just coming to check on everyone. Might’ve overheard talk about a trip to Europe?” Ned nodded and smiled.

“Principal Morita came up with this idea to send the highest achieving students on a trip around Europe,” Ned said. “Mr. Harrington, who’s the Decathlon coach, is one of the chaperones, so he said Decathlon team members are probably going to be picked first.” Tony glanced at Peter, who had a slight frown on his face.

“Ned and I have already signed up,” Betty said with a smile. “And apparently MJ has too.” MJ nodded and glanced at Peter.

“Just leaves you,” She said. “You know Mr. Harrington would hold a spot for you if you just asked.” Peter shrugged and pulled the sleeves of his sweater over his hands. Tony could see Peter getting a little bit uncomfortable with the conversation.

“Peter, I think we need some help with the cake,” Tony said. Peter looked up at his dad, a slightly relieved look on his face. “You know I can only hold things with one hand these days.”

“Okay,” Peter said. “Be back in a second guys.” Tony headed towards the kitchen as Peter followed. “Was I that obvious?”

“Only to me,” Tony said. “But as a dad, that’s my job.” Peter smiled and Tony pulled him in for a hug. Peter rested his forehead on his dad’s shoulder, taking in a few deep breaths. He didn’t expect the conversation his friends were having to bother him so much. But then again, he was trying to avoid thinking about this trip since it had been mentioned earlier in the week.

“We can talk about it when you’re ready,” Tony said, before pressing a kiss to the top of his son’s head. Peter nodded and looked up at his dad. “But right now, I do actually need your help with this cake.” Peter chuckled and stepped away.

“Thanks dad.”

“I’m here for you, bambino,” Tony said, ruffling his son’s hair.

“I know dad,” Tony said. “And I love you for that.”

“As you should,” Tony said. “No come on, let’s get the candles all set up.” Peter nodded and they got to work, a smile passing between the father and son.

* * *

Peter sat at the table, as everyone sang to Morgan. Morgan had, of course, chosen to sit on Peter’s lap. Peter couldn’t help but smile at his little sister. It blew his mind how open and welcoming she had been. She just accepted him as her brother, no questions asked. And he adored her. He couldn’t believe there was a time he didn’t feel that way. She was amazing and sweet and he was lucky to have her for a sister.

When everyone finished singing, Peter leaned down to whisper to her.

“Make a wish Mo,” He said. She looked over at him and smiled. Then she turned back towards the cake and blew out the candles.

“I did it!” She said excitedly, looking back at him. Peter smiled and kissed the top of her head.

Unbeknownst to them, both Tony and Pepper were watching their kids. Tony had a soft smile on his face and was sure he was on the verge of tears. Pepper just smiled widely at them.

“They’re amazing,” Tony said quietly.

“That they are,” Pepper said, before kissing his cheek. “You did a good job dad.”

“We did.” Pepper smiled and kissed him again before going over to Morgan. She kissed their daughter on the cheek and earned a giggle from the little girl. She then lifted up the cake, going to the kitchen to cut it. Tony walked over to his kids, still smiling at their interaction.

“Daddy!” Morgan said with a grin. Peter lifted her up over his head, earning a giggle from Morgan. Tony ignored the flicker of pain in his leg as he held his daughter.

“So, birthday girl,” Tony said. “What did you wish for?”

“Daddy,” She said, an exasperated tone to her voice. “If I told you, it wouldn’t come true! Petey! Tell daddy.” Peter chuckled.

“Yeah dad,” Peter said with a smirk. “She can’t just tell you her wish.”

“Well my apologies,” Tony said, before kissing her cheek. “But you’re my little princess and you’d get whatever you want anyways.”

“It’s not good to spoil us dad,” Peter said, standing up. As he said that, Pepper walked back over with two plates of cake. She placed one on the table. Tony put Morgan down and she ran back to her seat.

“He spoiled you your whole life,” Pepper said, handing Peter a plate. “And look how you turned out.”

“Yeah kid,” Tony said. “I give you a credit card and you used it once to buy a soda.”

“Which he apologized for doing,” Pepper said.

“It’s not cool when you guys make fun of me,” Peter said with a slight pout.

“We do it out of love,” Tony said. “Now eat your cake.” Peter rolled his eyes, a small smile on his face. He glanced back at the table. Morgan was back at the head of the table, messily eating her cake. He chuckled to himself and went to dig into his cake.

“Hey dork.” He paused when MJ approached.

“H-hey,” He said, trying to sound cool and not like his stomach was completely in knots over the girl in front of him.

“Thanks for letting us crash,” MJ said. “Your sister is really sweet.”

“Yeah she is,” Peter said with a small smile. MJ bit her lip, as if she wanted to say something else. He didn’t know the curly-haired girl to be tentative. She always said what she wanted.

“Was it weird to…” MJ paused. Peter tilted his head, not sure what she was asking. She blew out a breath, knocking a strand of her hair out of her face. “Was it weird coming back and discovering you have a sister?”

“Oh,” Peter said, surprised by the question. “Kind of. I mean, there was a lot of other things going on when I…you know.” MJ nodded. “But it was odd suddenly having a sister. But Morgan’s amazing.”

“Did she know about you?”

“Yeah,” Peter said. “My parents told her.” MJ nodded. “Why do you ask?”

“You guys just seem super close,” MJ said. “I mean, it’s clear she adores you. Your whole family does.” Peter looked at her. He didn’t know much about MJ’s family. She had mentioned a step-parent at one point, but that was it. He wondered what her family had to be like that she was so in awe of how he was with his family.

“My dad always said family comes first,” Peter said. MJ was about to say something else, when Lila interrupted.

“Hey Stark,” Lila said. “I got the cutest photo of you and your sister. Do you want to see?”

“Uh,” Peter not so eloquently began. MJ frowned and glanced at Lila.

“I’ll leave you two be,” She said before walking away. Peter tried to say something, but she moved too quick. He sighed.

“So, we really need to catch up,” Lila said, putting her phone away. “I texted you the photo by the way.” Peter was barely listening, glancing off to where MJ had walked. “Peter?”

“Huh?” Lila frowned. “Sorry.”

“I said we really need to catch up,” Lila said. “I feel like we really haven’t talked in a while. Not to mention, I never really get to see you in person.”

“Can we talk in a little bit?” Peter asked.

“Peter,” Lila said, a hint of sadness to her voice. “It’s important.”

“And I promise we will talk,” He said, having lost where MJ was in the room. “But I have to take care of something first.” Lila huffed and he attempted a smile, before going off in search of MJ.

* * *

It took a few minutes, since the penthouse was big, but he finally found her sitting in the kitchen. She was reading a book, which he wasn’t surprised that she had with her.

“Uh hey.” She looked up from her book. Her face quickly shifted to a neutral look. “You, uh, took off pretty quickly back there. We hadn’t even finished our conversation.” MJ sighed and put her book down.

“Well I thought you and your girlfriend wanted some time alone.” Peter’s eyes went wide at that.

“M-my what?” He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. MJ thought he was dating Lila?

“She’s been hanging all over you most of the party,” MJ said.

“She hugged me like twice.”

“And you two were whispering to each other earlier,” MJ said.

“MJ, Lila’s just my friend,” Peter said. MJ gave him a look. “I’m serious. We’ve been friends for a while because of our dad, but that’s it.” MJ furrowed her brow at him. “I’m telling you the truth. Not only is she not my girlfriend, but I don’t have a girlfriend.” Her face softened and he could’ve sworn she looked embarrassed for a second.

“Oh,” MJ said. “I guess I just thought…you two seemed so close. And the hugging.”

“I let Ned hug me,” Peter pointed out. “And Betty’s hugged me a few times too.”

“I haven’t,” MJ said.

“I didn’t think you’d be comfortable if someone hugged you,” Peter said. “Ned said he hugged you once after the Decathlon win in DC and you barely moved.”

“Oh, yeah,” MJ said, glancing down at her feet. Peter tilted his head. Normally, the brunette bewildered him, but it was over things like her dark humor. This was a different type of confusion.

“Why would you just assume I have a girlfriend anyways?” MJ looked up, a soft look in her eyes.

“I mean you’re a good guy Peter,” MJ said. “I mean look at where you live, who your dad is. And yet you’re the most down-to-earth person I know. I just figured someone that kind would you know…have girls lining up to date him.”

“Hardly,” Peter said. “I’m not what one would call a ‘chick magnet’.”

“Feminists everywhere are plotting to hurt you for saying that.”

“Duly noted.” MJ sighed.

“Sorry I just kind of assumed,” MJ said. “I’d like to think we’re friends and that we know each other well.”

“We are friends,” Peter said. MJ gave him a look and he offered her a smile. “You, Ned, and Betty are my closest friends.” She smiled a little and his stomach did a few flips. God, she was so pretty, but there was something about her face when she smiled. It made Peter’s insides feel like they were on fire and flying at the same time.

“Good to know,” She said. She smiled again and Peter couldn’t help but smile back. These moments, where it was just him and MJ were so few and far between. He wanted to savor them every chance he got.

“Peter.” The moment was ended by his parents walking into the kitchen. “Ned was looking for you. He and Betty are heading out.”

“We’re all heading back to Queens together,” MJ said.

“I’ll walk you guys out,” Peter said. He and MJ walked past Tony and Pepper, not saying much. Tony watched them go before turning to Pepper.

“Our son was talking to a girl in the kitchen, right?” Tony asked. “Should I be concerned?” Pepper rolled her eyes, but smirked. “Nah, you’re right. It’s fine.” Pepper chuckled and just headed out of the kitchen, Tony following her.


	6. Conversations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I wanted to talk to you an hour ago,” She said, a few tears rolling down her face. Peter felt like he had been punched in the gut. He had been so caught up in talking to MJ and paying attention to Morgan that he had broken his promise.

Peter moved around the penthouse, trying to find Lila. The party was winding down and people were starting to leave. Between saying goodbye to his friends and entertaining Morgan, Peter had lost track of time. He knew he promised to talk to Lila and he didn’t want to break that promise. But he was also worried that he had already done that.

“Well it was a great party.” Peter turned quickly, hearing Clint’s voice. He spotted Clint talking to his dad across the room. Laura was standing a few feet away, talking to Cooper and Nate. But Lila was nowhere to be found.

And then he saw a flash of brown hair moving towards the elevator. Hoping it was Lila, he ran after them. He reached the elevator just as it was closing. He stuck his hand out and stopped it from closing.

“Lila?” She was standing there, alone, with her head down. Her long, brown hair was covering her face.

“I have to go home now,” She said quietly.

“But we still have to talk.” She shook her head, her face still hidden. “Lila? Is something wrong?” She looked up at him and he could see tears in her eyes. Without a second thought, he stepped into the elevators. The doors closed and it was just them.

“I wanted to talk to you an hour ago,” She said, a few tears rolling down her face. Peter felt like he had been punched in the gut. He had been so caught up in talking to MJ and paying attention to Morgan that he had broken his promise.

“I…I’m sorry.” Lila crossed her arms over her chest, sniffling as she did. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“You wanna know the worst part?” She sniffed and looked at him. “That’s not even why I’m crying. What I wanted to talk to you about is why I’m crying.” Peter looked at her and then at the elevator numbers. They were about to reach the lobby.

“FRIDAY, stop the elevator.” The elevator screeched to a halt and Lila stared at Peter with wide-eyes. “You have my full attention now.”

“You’re crazy Stark.”

“Only for my friends.” A sad laugh trickled out of Lila and she sighed. “Talk to me Lila.”

“Something’s going on with my parents,” She said. “They…I can hear them arguing all the time.” Peter was about to say something when they were interrupted.

“Elevator stop overridden,” FRIDAY said. Peter sighed as the elevator began moving again. He was sure his dad and been alerted of the stop and just rebooted the elevator.

“Sorry,” Peter said. “I should’ve made time to really talk to you. I can tell this is really upsetting you.” Lila nodded and uncrossed her arms to wipe her tears away.

“It’s not really a party type of conversation anyways,” Lila said. “It’s not an over the phone conversation either, but I guess that will have to do.” Peter sighed as they reached the garage. “At least I get to ride with Nat and Wanda back to the Compound.” Peter nodded solemnly. They had flown to the Compound and driven down, because a QuinJet in Manhattan wasn’t something normal. Peter could see Nat and Wanda waiting by a car.

“Listen,” Peter said. “Nat and Wanda are supposed to train me in a few weeks. Maybe…maybe you could convince Nat to let you come with? You always told me Nat has a soft spot for doe eyes and a smile.” Lila laughed a little. “I kind of feel like I owe you that much.”

“I’ll ask,” Lila said. “And I’m sorry for being so dramatic. Living on a farm, well it’s a little lonely sometimes. My nearest friend is a five-mile drive from my house and I don’t drive.”

“Join the club.” Lila shook her head and smiled a little.

“Lila!” Lila turned her head when Nat called her name. “Time to go sweetie.” She nodded and turned back towards Peter.

“Don’t be a stranger Barton.” Lila laughed, a genuine laugh, and then hugged Peter. “And call me whenever. Like literally whenever. I have a horrible sleep schedule. Because before Spider-Man had a billion-dollar suit.”

“He had a Lila Barton original,” She said with a smile. “Thanks Peter.” She let go of him and stepped away. She headed towards Nat and Wanda. When she reached them, Wanda wrapped her arm around Lila. She glanced back at Peter and he waved once more before getting into the elevator. He sighed to himself as it climbed back towards the penthouse.

* * *

Peter sat in the living room a little while later. Everyone else had left and the party had been all cleaned up.

“Petey!” Morgan came running over to him, holding the present he had got for her. “Uncle Rhodey said you got this one for me, but you weren’t around for presents so I saved it.”

“Aw Mo you didn’t have to do that,” Peter said with a smile. Morgan put the present down on the couch before pulling herself up next to Peter. “Besides, I know you love presents.” He tickled her side and she giggled.

“What are you two up to now?” They both looked up to see their parents approaching. Tony made his way to the couch, shaking his head when Pepper offered to help him sit down. He ignored the twinge of pain and situated himself next to his kids. Pepper sat down next to him, her hand on his arm.

“I was gonna open the present Petey got me,” Morgan said, pointing to the box.

“Well don’t keep us in suspense little miss,” Tony said with a smile. Morgan smiled back and picked up the present. She opened it without hesitation and giggled when she saw the box.

“Petey!” Morgan said. She held up the box of Legos. “We already have like millions of these! You always let me play with them, even though they’re yours.”

“Exactly,” Peter said. “Those are mine that I’m happy to share. But this one is all yours.” Tony watched how Peter interacted with Morgan, a proud smile on his face. “Do you want to know a little secret Mo?” She nodded. “I was about your age when dad bought me my first Lego set and it’s my favorite gift.”

“In the whole world?” Morgan asked and Peter nodded.

“So, I thought it was only right that I got you your own set of Legos,” Peter said. He glanced past Morgan towards Tony. “Try and carry on the tradition.” A soft sound escaped Tony’s mouth and he smiled. God, his son was so good sometimes. “So, what do you think Mo? Do you like it?” Morgan put the box down and pulled herself up. She then placed a very loud kiss on Peter’s cheek, earning a chuckle from their parents.

“I love it,” Morgan said, smiling up at her big brother.

“Good,” Peter said with a smile. “Love you Mo.”

“And I love you 3,000,” Peter faked a gasp and looked at his dad. He knew Morgan tended to save that phrase for just him.

“But I thought you only loved dad 3,000?”

“Uh uh,” Morgan said. “I love daddy, you, and mommy 3,000.” Peter smiled and chuckled.

“Guess it’s not a competition anymore,” Pepper whispered to Tony. Tony just smirked before scooping Morgan up from Peter’s lap.

“You get over here too, kid,” Tony said, opening up his arm. Peter obliged and Tony pulled his two kids into a hug. He glanced at Pepper and she smiled before pressing a kiss to the tops of Peter and Morgan’s head. And Tony couldn’t help but smile (ignoring the hint of pain in his leg) as he sat there, hugging his family.

He was truly and genuinely, the luckiest man alive.

* * *

Tony made his way towards Peter’s room later that evening. Morgan was fast asleep, having gone to bed pretty easily after the day she had had. Pepper was in their room showering and though Tony was tempted to join his wife, he wanted to check in on Peter.

“Hey dad,” Peter said as Tony approached his son’s room. The door was partially open, so he pushed it open the rest of the way and entered.

“Some good spidey hearing you have,” Tony said with a smirk. Peter nodded from where he was sitting at his desk. Tony made his way over to the bed and sat down, ignoring the dull ache in his leg. “Working on anything important?”

“Just getting a head start on some homework due next week,” Peter said. “Gives me more time to patrol.”

“You do still have a curfew,” Tony said. Peter nodded. “Come here bambino.” Peter got up and sat down next to his dad. He wrapped his arm around Peter, squeezing his shoulder. Peter smiled and leaned against his dad’s shoulder.

“Today was a good day,” Peter said with a smile.

“Agreed,” Tony said. “Although, there are a few things I feel like I need to talk to you about. Three to be precise.” Peter glanced at him, not sure what he was talking about. “There’s this Europe trip your friends mentioned.”

“Not ready to talk about that yet.”

“Duly noted,” Tony said. “Then there’s that whole you talking to a girl in the kitchen alone situation. And you stopping the elevator with Lila Barton.”

“Lila and I just needed to talk,” Peter said. “It was stupid.” Tony glanced at his son, a slightly worried look on his face. “Everything’s fine. I just promised her we’d talk before the party was over and then we didn’t. She was upset so I was trying to make it up to her before she left.”

“What was she upset about?” Tony asked. Peter bit his lip. “This’ll just stay between us, bambino, I promise.” Peter sighed and Tony gave his son a reassuring smile.

“She’s worried about her parents,” Peter said. “I guess she overheard an argument or something.” Tony sighed. “You don’t sound so surprised.”

“Let’s just say,” Tony began, trying to put his thought gently. “That Clint didn’t handle losing his entire family very well. So, I’m not surprised to hear that he might be struggling now.”

“Whatever’s wrong,” Peter started. “It’s clearly upsetting Lila. And clearly, I need to be a better friend. I told her she should ask Nat if she can come with then next time she and Wanda come to train me.” Tony smiled and patted his son’s shoulder.

“A good idea kiddo,” Tony said and Peter smiled. “Now are we going to talk about that private conversation between you and MJ in the kitchen, or am I just leaving that alone?”

“Dad!” Peter said, his ears reddening. Tony smirked, realizing his son had a crush on the curly-haired girl.

“Uh huh.” Peter’s ears just reddened even more. “It’s cute when you’re embarrassed.”

“You’re the worst,” Peter grumbled. Tony laughed and shook his head.

“No, I’m not.” Peter glanced up at his dad and the pout on his face disappeared. Tony just pulled Peter closer to him and kissed the top of his head.

“Yeah, you’re not,” Peter admitted, wrapping his arms around his dad to hug him. “I love you dad.”

“Love you too,” Tony said, resting his chin on top of Peter’s head. They stayed like that for some time, in a companionable silence. Peter was grateful for his dad, his dad who even after five years without him, still knew all the ways to support and comfort him. His dad who would do just about anything for him. And he was grateful, especially with hearing what Lila was going through, to have that.

“Well isn’t this a common and adorable sight.” They both looked up to see Pepper in the doorway. “It’s nice that after all this time, I still know exactly where to find you two.”

“Or just ask the AI running the building,” Peter quipped. Tony chuckled and Pepper shook his head.

“Your son, through and through,” She said, with a slight smirk.

“Wouldn’t have him any other way,” Tony said and Peter beamed at him. “Night bambino.” He kissed the top of Peter’s head again and stood up, trying not to wince at the sharp pain that went up his leg.

“Night dad,” Peter said. “Night mom.”

“Good night sweetie,” Pepper said as Tony reached the door. He exited the room and Pepper closed the door behind them. Peter laid back on his bed and stared at the ceiling. It had been a good day overall. He knew he’d have to stop running away from the topic of the Europe trip, especially when his three closest friends were going. He smiled thinking how fun it would be to travel around Europe with MJ and maybe hold her hand, or go on a date with her, or even get to kiss her. And he was worried about Lila and what she was going through.

But even with all that running through his head, he was able to drift off and fall asleep, after such an eventful day.


	7. Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony tried not to admit how much pain he was constantly in. Some days were easier than others, with only twinges of pain here and there. But others, well the pain was sometimes too difficult to describe. He tried to save the moments when it really hurt when he was alone or just with Pepper. He didn’t want to scare his kids.

Peter sat on his bed, laptop in front of him and a book next to him. He sighed to himself and leaned his head back, wanting to admit defeat.

“Hey.” He lifted his head at the sound of another voice. He glanced at his computer, at Lila who was on video chat. “You told me you couldn’t sleep until this chapter was done.”

“Yeah,” Peter grumbled. “But Beowulf is so boring. You’d think high school teachers would select something else.”

“I don’t get what you have against English and classic literature,” Lila said. Peter rolled his eyes.

“Not all of us choose to read Anna Karenina at a wildly inappropriate age.”

“It’s one of Nat’s favorites,” Lila said. “And my parents were more impressed that I read it at twelve than disturbed.” Peter snorted, earning a smirk from Lila.

“How’s everything with…you know, them?” Lila shrugged and Peter frowned feeling bad for his friend.

“I still hear them fight sometimes,” Lila said. “But I think they know I’ve heard them. Now they just go out to the barn every time they’re about to have an argument.”

“I’m sorry Lila.” She sighed and rubbed at her eyes, a tired look crossing the sixteen-year-old’s face. She was about to say something when a loud yell startled both of them.

“What was that?” Peter looked around frightfully, trying to determine where the sound was coming from. As soon as he realized, he nearly tumbled out of his bed.

“I have to…”

“Go!” She shouted, ending the call. And then Peter went running down the hallway.

* * *

Tony tried not to admit how much pain he was constantly in. Some days were easier than others, with only twinges of pain here and there. But others, well the pain was sometimes too difficult to describe. He tried to save the moments when it really hurt when he was alone or just with Pepper. He didn’t want to scare his kids.

But when a spasm of pain ripped through his body, nothing could stop him from screaming out in pain.

“Tony?” Pepper was sitting up next to him, awake in a flash. Tony was sitting up in bed, his feet on the floor, trying to breathe through the pain. He covered his mouth with one hand to try and hold back anymore sounds of pain. He could feel it all going through his body and he just tried to fight it down.

“It’s okay,” Pepper whispered gently, leaning against what he referred to as his good side. She placed a delicate hand on his shoulder, trying to ground him in something beyond the pain. Tony just squeezed his eyes shut, desperately waiting for the pain to go away.

And then Peter barged into the room.

“Dad?” Tony didn’t want to look at his son, didn’t want his son to see him in such a vulnerable state. He tried so hard to protect his son from seeing moments like this. He didn’t want that to stop now.

“Go.” Was all Tony could get out. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at Peter. He could see a startled and almost hurt look on his son’s face. “Peter, go.”

“But.”

“Go!” Peter’s lip quivered, but he quickly left the room, not one to argue with what he was being told. Tony let out a gasp of pain and he felt Pepper hold on to him tighter. Finally, after what felt like ages, the spasm of pain lessened. Tony tried to breathe, feeling his chest tighten a little. It was in these moments that he didn’t know if his sacrifice was worth it. Was living with this kind of pain for the rest of his life really worth it?

“Whatever you’re thinking, don’t,” Pepper said gently. Tony just nodded and she gently kissed his cheek. He couldn’t put into words what he was feeling, but Pepper knew him well enough to know anyways. He laid back down, a heavy gasp escaping from his lips. He squeezed his eyes shut, a wave of shame and guilt washing over him. He felt Pepper’s thin frame curl up against him, her delicate fingers running up and down his arm trying to soothe him.

And he just felt miserable.

* * *

Peter stood in the hallway, shocked and upset. He had never seen his dad like that. He wanted to be hurt that his dad had yelled at him, but he was more concerned. So, he stood in the hallway, quietly waiting to make sure everything was okay. He didn’t know what was happening and based on his dad’s response to him being in the room, he didn’t know if he would get an answer to what was going on.

So, since he could do nothing else, he just stood there. And waited.

“Peter?” He wasn’t sure how long he stood there or why he didn’t hear Pepper leave the room and approach him. He must’ve looked upset, because she pulled him into a hug.

“Is dad okay?” He asked quietly. Pepper just kissed the top of his head. “It’s from the stones, isn’t it?” Pepper nodded and Peter sighed.

“Can I check on dad?” Pepper shook her head and Peter frowned. She just hugged him tighter and Peter bit down on his lip to keep himself from crying. Memories were flashing in his mind that made this more difficult than he expected. He often didn’t see his dad in that kind of pain. And the times he did, he tried not to think about. But those were bubbling up. But he knew Pepper was also dealing with this as well. So, he stayed quiet.

“You should get to bed,” Pepper said looking down at him. She brushed some of his hair back and he just nodded solemnly. “And really try and sleep sweetie.” Peter didn’t say anything, not able to promise anything. Pepper just kissed him on the top of his head before going back into the room. Peter sighed before going into his room, trying to bury down a sadness in him.

* * *

Peter sat at breakfast the next morning feeling miserable. He had not slept the rest of the night. Between worry for his dad and the fear of nightmares, he just couldn’t sleep. So now he was tired and grumpy. He pushed his oatmeal around in the bowl in front of him, too tired to eat.

“Morning kiddo.” Peter barely looked up from his oatmeal when his dad entered the kitchen.

“Hi,” Peter grumbled. He heard his dad sigh. Peter wanted to talk to him, but his dad had yelled at him the previous night. So instead he took one unwanted bite of oatmeal and then dumped the bowl into the sink. Tony watched his son, seeing the downtrodden look on his son’s face.

“Bambino,” Tony started. But then a pain went through his side and he bit his lip. Peter watched his dad, wondering if he should stay put and offer help. But when his dad gripped the counter, not saying anything else, Peter said nothing. He just headed towards the elevator to get to school.

When the pain passed, Peter was long gone. Tony knew he needed to talk to his son, but he could barely get through a conversation without the pain popping up. And it made him miserable. So, he straightened up and headed towards the lab.

Maybe work would take his mind off the pain.


	8. Strong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony sat in his lab feeling miserable. His body still constantly felt like it was on fire and he felt awful about his exchange with Peter both that morning and yesterday. He didn’t know how to explain to his son how much pain he was in. He wanted to keep Peter away from all of that. After all, he was the parent. Wasn’t he supposed to be the strong one?

“Dude!” Peter looked up from his locker to see Ned running over him. “I’ve been texting you all morning! I majorly need your help!”

“Sorry,” Peter said. Ned frowned hearing a quietness to Peter’s voice that wasn’t normal.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Peter said. Ned gave him a look, his best friend knowing him better than that. “Really. What’s up?” Peter attempted a smile, trying to convince Ned to let it go. Luckily, his best friend did.

“Tomorrow’s Valentine’s Day,” Ned said. “And the first one since…you know.” Peter winced a little. “Sorry.”

“Again, it’s fine,” Peter said. “I’m assuming you need help with something for Betty?” Peter closed his locker and they headed towards their homeroom.

“Well yeah,” Ned said. “That’s the anniversary of our first date, remember?” Peter stopped and gave him a look.

“Dude of course I remember,” Peter said. “I’m the one that bought the candy gram for you, remember?” Ned chuckled and nodded. “So, what do you need my help with?” Ned smiled and started talking as they kept walking. And Peter smiled as well, able to get his mind off of what was happening at home.

* * *

Tony sat in his lab feeling miserable. His body still constantly felt like it was on fire and he felt awful about his exchange with Peter both that morning and yesterday. He didn’t know how to explain to his son how much pain he was in. He wanted to keep Peter away from all of that. After all, he was the parent. Wasn’t he supposed to be the strong one?

“Tony?” He was brought out of his thoughts by a familiar voice. He was a little surprised to see Bruce, but smiled nonetheless. 

“What are you doing here?” Tony asked, starting to get up. He stopped when pain shot through his leg, biting back a groan. 

“The stones, huh?” Tony looked up at Bruce, no longer the short, squirrelly guy he had once met, but now assuming the look of the Hulk full-time. 

“Pepper called you didn’t she?” Bruce nodded. Tony sighed and rested his hands on the table. “I’m fine.”

“You’re not,” Bruce said. Tony went to say something, but Bruce stopped him. “I know you’re not, because I’m going through the same thing.” He pointed to his arm, still in a sling. “Just because I’m made of gamma radiation, doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.”

“I thought Shuri was working on something for you,” Tony said.

“She is,” Bruce said with a nod. “I told her not to rush. Her job is technical advisor to the King of Wakanda. That comes first. And I dabble with ideas every now and then. But I’m in no rush.”

“How do you deal with it?” Tony asked. Bruce sighed. “Some days are fine. I move slow but well enough. I can pick up Morgan, hug Peter. But other days…”

“It’s like everything is on fire,” Bruce said and Tony nodded. “It doesn’t seem fair that we should be going through this after saving the universe, huh?”

“I don’t really care about fair,” Tony said. “I just don’t want to seem like I’m falling apart in front of my kids. I’m their dad, I’m supposed to be the strong one. Peter....he looked so startled when he saw me in pain last night.”

“Are you sure it wasn’t just concern?” Bruce asked. “He may be your kid, but he’s allowed to be worried about you.” Tony sighed. “Look, it’s painful and it’s difficult and it sucks.”

“But it’s better than the alternative.” Bruce nodded. “I know. And I’m glad Pepper called you.”

“I’d come check on you in a heartbeat,” Bruce said. “We all would. We owe you a lot Tony.” Tony smiled a little. “Pain sucks, but just don’t let it stop you from living. You do still get to do that.”

“I know,” Tony said. “Thanks Bruce.”

“Anytime,” Bruce said, gently patting his shoulder. “We’re a team, even when we’re retired.” Tony smiled a little. What Bruce had to say was necessary. But there was still a little part of him that felt bad for how he had yelled at Peter the previous night. Maybe he couldn’t protect his son from seeing him in those low moments. Maybe he needed to be honest with him.

* * *

Peter sat in his room later that evening doing his homework. He looked up when he heard the familiar sound of Morgan scurrying down the hallway, followed by her tiny knock at the door. His little sister poked her head and looked around for Peter. 

“You can come in Mo,” Peter said, turning his chair towards the door. Morgan scurried in and ran over to him. 

“You weren’t at dinner,” Morgan said, pulling herself up onto his lap. “Why?”

“I was hanging out with Ned,” Peter said, spinning the chair a little, earning a giggle from Morgan. “He wanted to get something for Betty for Valentine’s Day.”

“We had chicken and nobody helps cut my chicken like you do.” Peter chuckled and kissed the top of her head. “Can you read me a story?” 

“Sure Mo.” Peter stood up, hoisting his little sister up with him. He started walking out of his room. “Story from a book or Spider-Man story?”

“Spider-Man please,” Morgan said as they headed towards her room. 

“There you two are.” Pepper walked down the hallway, smiling when she saw the two of them. “I was wondering where you both had gone.”

“Petey’s gonna tell me a story before bed,” Morgan said, loosely wrapping her arms around her brother’s neck. 

“Unfortunately,” Pepper said, scooping Morgan up from Peter’s arms. “It’s a little too late for that, little miss.” Morgan pouted. 

“Tomorrow night Mo,” Peter said. He stood up and kissed her forehead. “Night little miss.”

“Night Petey.” He smiled and then Pepper walked out of the room with Morgan. Peter walked back into his room. He listened for a second, just hearing the soft sounds of Pepper trying to put Morgan to sleep. He didn't hear anything that sounded like his dad was around, but that didn't surprise him. After the previous evening, he had a weird feeling his dad was in the lab. That's always where he disappeared to when he was stressed or upset. Peter sighed and looked out the window. The lights of Manhattan covered his view, a view he had known for years. Even after everything, that view was the same. It was comforting, especially with the day he was having.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Peter's thoughts were interrupted by his dad's soft voice. Peter turned to see his dad leaning against the doorway.“Mind if I come in bambino?” Peter shrugged and heard his dad sigh. With his enhanced hearing, he heard the soft tapping of the cane moving across the room. He glanced over, just to see his dad sitting down in his desk chair. “How’s Ned?”

“Good,” Peter said. “He needed help getting Betty a Valentine’s Day gift.” Tony glanced at his son, a soft sigh escaping his throat. It was clear that Peter was still upset with him. He would barely look at him.

“Bambino,” Tony said, a gentleness to his voice. “Please talk to me.”

“What’s to talk about dad?” Peter asked, keeping his eyes on the skyline. “You clearly don’t want me to know what’s going on with you.” Tony sighed and leaned his head back. Then, with a slight grunt, he forced himself to stand up. Peter turned, his anger not able to hide the concern on his face. “W-What…”

“Coming to you,” Tony said, moving to stand next to his son.

“You don’t have to.”

“Yeah I do,” Tony said with a sigh. “Look, I was wrong to yell at you last night. I just...I didn’t want you to see me like that. All I want is to protect you and Morgan. I can’t do that if you...you know.”

“Dad,” Peter said, finally turning towards him. “I’m not a kid anymore. I know you want to be strong for Morgan and I, but I’ve seen a lot worse than that.” He looked down at his shoes. “And it’s not like I haven’t seen you much worse before.” Tony frowned and then realization dawned. 

“Oh bambino.”

“We never talked about it dad,” Peter said quietly. “You almost dying in front of me...twice. So, you can’t hide this stuff from me anymore. I mean, maybe when I was seven, we didn’t have to…”

“We never did talk about that,” Tony said quietly. “Guess I didn’t want to scare you anymore than I had. Or mention him.”

“That was awful dad,” Peter said. “And I was terrified. But you lived and you were fine. But then you hid everything about being Iron Man from me. You’d send me to Queens or that one time when you stuck me on Clint’s farm. Not even being Spider-Man changed that. And then, that battle. You almost died. If Thor hadn’t done what he did, I don’t know what would’ve happened.”

“I’m right here bambino,” Tony said. “I lived.” Peter looked at him, a few tears in his eyes.

“At what cost?” Peter asked. “You’re in pain. I can tell. But you’re not telling me and that makes it so much worse.” Tony pulled Peter into a hug, ignoring the pain in his side as he did. Peter buried his face in his father’s shoulders, the tears falling more freely. 

Tony was about to say something when a spasm of pain ripped through him.

“Dad?” A look of concern passed Peter’s face. 

“H-help me s-sit down,” Tony managed to get out. Peter nodded and helped his dad into the chair. He watched as his dad gripped the handles of the chair, the knuckles on his good hand nearly turning white as he did. Peter just kneeled in front of his dad, watching with concern, wondering what he was supposed to do. 

When the pain finally passed, Tony sighed and leaned his head back against the chair. 

“Dad?”

“That’s what it’s like on bad days,” Tony said quietly. He looked down at his son, a pained expression on his face. “It’s pain burning through my entire side and I can’t do anything about it. On good days, it’s some sores or pains here and there.”

“And there’s nothing you can do about it?”

“It’s the price I paid to save everyone,” Tony said, his hand gently reaching forward and cupping his son’s cheek. “The price I paid to know there was still a world for you and Morgan.”

“Not much of a world without you dad.” Tony smiled a little and leaned forward, kissing his son’s forehead.

“This whole thing scares me like crazy,” Tony said. “And I don’t want to scare you. I’m your dad, it’s my job to protect you. But, I also can’t hide things from you. It’s doing more damage than good. So, I’ll do my best kiddo. But if I do that, then you have to promise me something.”

“Anything dad.”

“You have to be strong,” Tony said. “Not just for me or yourself, but for Morgan and your mom too. We all need it.” Peter nodded. 

“I will be, I promise dad.”

“I know you will,” Tony said. “You’re too good kid. Sometimes I don’t know how I got so lucky getting a kid like you.”

“I’m only like this because of how you raised me dad,” Peter said. Tony smiled and Peter helped him up. Peter hugged him, a little more gently than usual, but there was still a ferocity of love there. Tony hugged him back, pressing a kiss to the side of his head. 

“Alright,” Tony said. “Help me back to my room, will ya? I have a feeling Morgan sweet talked your mom into reading her a story.” Peter chuckled but nodded, helping his dad towards the door, feeling a lot better than he had all day. 


	9. Valentine's Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “And hey, Happy Valentine’s Day. I have a gift for you, but it’s in the lab.”
> 
> “Well we’ll have to get that later. And I have a gift for you, but it requires some work.”

Tony slowly opened his eyes as light flooded into the room. He could hear Pepper humming and slowly glanced to his side. She wasn’t in bed, which meant she was probably up and getting ready for the day. Tony sighed and slowly sat up, grateful for a little less pain than the previous day. Pepper walked out of the bathroom and smiled when she saw he was awake. 

“Morning honey,” Tony said as Pepper walked over to his side of the bed. She leaned down to give him a kiss and he snaked his arms around her waist, before pulling her down to his lap. She let out a light laugh and gently swatted at his shoulder. He kissed her again before resting his forehead on her shoulder. 

“Feeling better today?”

“Much,” Tony said, looking back up at her. “Talking with Peter certainly helped.” Pepper nodded and smiled. “And hey, Happy Valentine’s Day. I have a gift for you, but it’s in the lab.”

“Well we’ll have to get that later,” Pepper said, before kissing his cheek. “And I have a gift for you, but it requires some work.”

“The best things in life do.” She smiled and shook her head. “So, what kind of work are we talking about?”

“Dinner,” Pepper said. “At a very lovely Italian restaurant that everyone has been talking about.” Tony nodded, looking down. He didn’t like going out much since everything that happened. He knew that most of the scars weren’t visible and his arm looked as realistic as humanly possible, but it was still a concern. Not to mention, the press had tried to bombard his son with questions. Who’s to say they wouldn’t with him?

“Pep.”

“I know,” She said gently. “I know it’s all been difficult.” He looked up at her, into those lovely blue eyes that he loved more than anything. “But hiding isn’t going to change that. Not the pain, not yourself. We all have to take steps forward, no matter how difficult.” Tony nodded, still not sure. Pepper stood up and he watched her, not saying anything. She moved towards the walk-in closet and pulled out something. “And if you do decide to take me out for Valentine’s Day.” The item in her hand was a garment bag, which she unzipped. Tony saw a flash of blue and raised an eyebrow.

“Is that…” He began and Pepper smirked before placing the garment bag back in the closet. 

“The blue dress that you’re so crazy about?” Pepper asked and Tony nodded. “A new one. I tracked down the designer and paid him handsomely to remake it. And if we go out to dinner, I’ll wear it. And then maybe let you take it off me later.” She smiled mischievously before leaving the room. Tony watched her go, a million thoughts running through his head, seventy-five percent which were extraordinarily inappropriate. But he also realized he couldn’t hide forever; not from the pain and not from the public. He sighed and slowly stood up, again grateful for just tiny pains and not a spasm. 

He knew what his decision was. 

He headed down the hallway towards the kitchen, hearing the sounds of Morgan’s giggles. He smiled when he reached the common room and saw his family. Morgan was sitting at the counter, a plate of breakfast in front of her, giggling at something Peter was saying. Peter was standing on the other side of the counter, a wide grin on his face. And Pepper was watching both of them, a smile on her face. What did he need to be hiding from when he had the three of them?

“Morning dad,” Peter said as Tony approached. Tony sat down next to Morgan, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. 

“And how long have you two been up?” Tony asked. Peter shrugged and glanced at the clock. 

“I guess like a half hour,” Peter said. “Ned called me, panicking about his Valentine’s Day plans for Betty and I had to calm him down. And then somebody was hungry.” Morgan just smiled at her big brother, which earned a grin from Peter. 

“Any big plans for you today?” Tony asked. 

“Just patrol,” Peter said. “If that’s okay with you guys.” He glanced back and forth between Pepper, who was pouring a cup of coffee for Tony, and his dad who was just watching him. 

“I see no issue,” Pepper said, hanging the cup to Tony. “Honey?”

“Just one,” Tony said. “Think you can do it this afternoon and not this evening? We need a babysitter for Morgan and I gave Happy the day off.”

“Oh um sure,” Peter said. 

“Good,” Tony said with a smile. “Because your mom and I have big Valentine’s Day plans.” Pepper just smiled at him adoringly and he smiled back. This was the right decision. And if it meant seeing Pepper in that killer dress again, well then he was more than happy to compromise.

* * *

Peter sat on a rooftop in the Iron Spider suit. He had been swinging around for a while and figured he could use a break. He sat on the rooftop, legs swing back and forth absentmindedly as he glanced out at the view of Queens. He patrolled more than just Queens those days, but he always found himself going back to that borough. Maybe it was because he was used to it. But he loved it either way. 

“Incoming call from Ned Leeds.” Karen’s voice interrupted his thoughts. Peter was grateful that his dad had his AI in both of his suits. He would’ve worn the Iron Spider a lot less if it meant no Karen.

“ _ Dude _ !” Peter smirked through his mask as Ned’s call picked up. “ _ Betty loved her gift _ !”

“Glad to hear it,” Peter said. “Where you now?”

“ _ Bathroom _ ,” Ned said. “ _ We’re going to the movies in a bit. We were talking about the Europe trip. She can’t wait until we’re at the Eiffel Tower. She says it’ll be real romantic _ .”

“I bet,” Peter said, hoping Ned didn’t mention anything else about the Europe trip.

“ _ Have you decided if you’re going yet _ ?” Peter gulped a little. 

“Not yet,” Peter said. “I’ll let you know.”

“ _ Okay _ ,” He could hear a little disappointment in his best friend’s voice and Peter sighed. “ _ Well I gotta get back.” _

“Have fun,” Peter said. And then the call ended. He sighed. He knew he needed to make a decision about that trip. But he didn’t love the idea of being away from his family for that long.

“Hey Spider-Man.” He looked around trying to find the person speaking. He was lucky he was wearing a mask or else they would’ve seen his eyes go wide. 

MJ was sitting on a nearby fire escape, staring right at him. 

“C-Can I help you citizen?” Peter asked, trying to deepen his voice. MJ snorted and Peter felt himself blush.  _ Thank god for masks _ , he continued to think as she started up at him. 

“Who says citizen?” She asked.

“Testing it out,” Peter said. “I should be off.” He could feel his heart beating heavily and his stomach felt like it was doing flips. She didn’t look any different than normal, in fact she was wearing a midtown sweatshirt and her long hair was pulled back. Even so, she looked gorgeous and he felt nervous just being around her. Not to mention, he had a weird feeling if MJ talked to Spider-Man long enough, then she’d figure him out. 

“Wait,” MJ said. “You...you know my friend Peter.” Peter didn’t answer, trying to hide the overwhelming sense of panic. She totally knew. “I mean, you work with his dad, right? Being an Avenger and all.” Peter would’ve let out a breath relief if he could’ve, but he still felt like he needed to get out of there before MJ caught on to him. 

“I’ve seen him around,” Peter said, trying to sound as casual as possible. 

“You should um, look out for him,” MJ said. Peter tilted his head, confused by her statement. “I mean, he doesn’t talk about it, but his dad’s not really fighting bad guys anymore. And Peter...he probably...I’d hate for anything bad to happen to him.” A goofy smile crossed his face. He had never heard MJ talk about anyone like that. “Because, you know, he’s my friend.”

“O-of course,” Peter stuttered out. “I will.” He then nodded at her and she smiled, making Peter’s stomach do flips. Then he swung away, the huge, goofy grin still on his face. 

* * *

Tony stood in the master bedroom in front of the mirror, adjusting one of his cufflinks. He hadn’t worn a tuxedo since the vow renewal, but since Pepper had gone out of the way to get his favorite dress, he figured a tuxedo was appropriate. He turned around just as Pepper stepped out of the bathroom. She smiled seeing the look of pure adoration on his face. 

“I think that dress might even be better than I remember,” Tony said, as Pepper approached. “And I don’t know what’s better, seeing you in it again or knowing I get to take it off you later.” Pepper laughed lightly and wrapped her arms around his neck. His free hand wrapped around her waist. 

“You don’t look too bad yourself,” She said. “But then again, you always knew how to wear a suit.”

“Why Ms. Potts I do believe you’re flirting with me.”

“That’s Mrs. Stark to you,” Pepper said, earning a grin from Tony. He then captured her lips in a long kiss, a smile on his face the whole time. Pepper pulled away, running her fingers through his goatee as she did. “As much as I love it when you’re eager, we do have a reservation to make.” 

“If you insist,” Tony said. Pepper smiled and wrapped her arm around his arm. Then they headed out of the room and towards the common room. As they got closer, they could hear Peter and Morgan. “Alright you two.” They both looked up at their parents.

“Wow,” Peter said as they approached the kitchen. “You guys look great.” 

“Thanks kiddo,” Tony said. He looked at Morgan, who was sitting at the counter. She nodded and he smiled. “We’ll be back later and when we do get back, one of you should be asleep.” 

“I’ll make sure the little miss is asleep,” Peter said. “Even if I have to bore her to it.” Morgan giggled, earning a smile from their parents. Pepper let go of Tony’s arm and walked over to Morgan. 

“One other request,” Tony said, lowering his voice so only Peter could hear. “Put on some noise-cancelling headphones later.” Peter wrinkled his nose.

“Gross dad.” Tony chuckled. “Whatever. Have fun tonight.” Tony smiled and hugged Peter. He then let go and turned towards Pepper. “Ready honey?”

“Ready,” She said, walking towards the elevator. “Be good you too.”

“Bye mommy, bye daddy!” Morgan called as they got onto the elevator. Tony smiled at his two children as the elevator door. As soon as the door was closed, he turned to Pepper. 

“Thank you,” He said, kissing her cheek. “For arranging all of this.” She just smiled and wrapped her arm around his arm. As Tony’s hand absent-mindedly played with the fabric of her dress, he smiled, feeling a level of content he hadn’t felt in a few days.

* * *

Peter sat in the living room later that evening. Morgan was fast asleep in her room. She had wanted to stay up later since Peter was in charge. But as it got closer to her bedtime, she got more and more tired. Peter had been telling her a story in the living room when he had looked over and seen her fast asleep. So, after tucking in his little sister, he had grabbed his laptop and taken a seat back on the couch. 

“Is it lame that we’re both home on a Saturday night?” He looked up at the screen at Lila. “I mean like, we’re teenagers. Shouldn’t we be out doing teenager things?”

“Well I’m babysitting,” Peter said. “And you live in the middle of nowhere.”

“Don’t remind me,” Lila said with a sigh. “We do even less here when it snows. All of the roads like close down. It’s horrendously boring.”

“Are your parents out?” The questions was gentle. His questions were always gentle when it came to Lila’s parents. She sighed, answering his question. 

“Dad’s in the barn,” She said. “It’s where he spends most of his time now. Sometimes I worry he sleeps in there.”

“I’m sorry Lila.” She sighed and shrugged. “Hey, can I ask you something?”

“As long as it’s not about my parents.”

“It’s not.”

“Proceed Stark.” He chuckled and nodded. 

“So my school is allowing the top ten percent of students to go on a trip to Europe,” Peter said. “All of my friends are going and they keep asking me about it. My teacher Mr. Harrington is holding a spot for me, but I don’t know how much longer he’ll hold it.”

“So you’re what, asking me if you should go?” Lila asked and Peter nodded. “Here’s a better question, why don’t you want to go?”

“I was gone for five years.”

“You’re not gone anymore,” Lila pointed out. 

“I know,” Peter said. “But I missed so much. I missed four years of Morgan’s life. I missed my parents getting married. I don’t want to miss anything else.”

“It’s not like you’re leaving forever,” Lila said. “And it’s probably something you have to deal with because you’re going to have to think about college eventually.”

“My dad has his heart set on me going to MIT,” Peter said. “Like he and Rhodey did.”

“I think it’s more than just missing time,” Lila said. “And I think you know that, but you don’t want to admit it out loud.” Peter sighed. She was right. It was nice to have a friend who knew him so well, even if he didn’t really want to be called out like that. 

“I just don’t want something to happen to my dad while I’m gone,” Peter said. “And with what he’s going through right now, that’s probable.” Lila nodded, pursing her lips.

“I know it’s hard because you’re worried about your dad,” Lila said. “But I don’t think he’d be happy to know you’re too worried about him to live your life. And also, I’d kill to go to Europe.” Peter nodded. “You know what the right decision is and I don’t think anyone would be mad at your for making it. We’re teenagers Peter. We’re supposed to be living.”

“And what are you doing to be a teenager,” Peter countered. “There’s gotta be something to do in the middle of nowhere.”

“School paper,” Lila said. “Something to do I suppose.” Peter nodded. “So, are you going to go?” Peter was about to respond when he heard the elevator ding.

“I have to move to my room,” Peter said. “And put on noise cancelling headphones.”

“Gross.”

“Right?” Lila chuckled. “Later Barton.” She nodded to him before ending the call. Peter closed his laptop and stood up as his parents walked into the room. 

“Look who’s still awake,” Pepper said as they met in the middle of the room. “Any trouble with Morgan?”

“She tried to convince me to let her stay up later,” Peter said, earning a raise of an eyebrow from Pepper. “But she was out by 9:30.” She chuckled and nodded. 

“Good,” She said with a smile. “I’m going to go check on her.” She smiled at Tony before walking out of the living room. 

“So bambino,” Tony said as they made their way down the hallway towards Peter’s room. “Anything exciting happen tonight?”

“Video chatted with Lila after Morgan went to bed,” Peter said. “I think she appreciates it. I don’t get the sense that she likes living on a farm anymore.” Tony nodded as they reached the door to his room. “Dad? In the morning, can we talk about that Europe trip Midtown is going on?” Tony smiled and patted Peter’s shoulder.

“Sure thing bambino,” Tony said, glad that Peter was finally willing to bring the trip up. “We’ll talk in the morning.” He kissed the side of Peter’s head and Peter hugged him. “Love you kiddo.”

“You too, dad.” Peter then went into his room, closing the door behind him. Tony sighed and made his way towards the master bedroom. He reached the door just as Pepper did. 

“Morgan still down for the count?”

“Mhmm,” Pepper said with a nod. “Everything alright with Peter?”

“Kid’s perfect,” Tony said, with a smile. “But then again, he always has been.” Pepper smiled. “Now, I do believe there was a discussion of eagerness and this dress earlier?” Pepper giggled before stepping into the room. Tony smiled to himself. Going out hadn’t been that bad. Things were starting to look up. 

And that was really all he could ask for


	10. Runaway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Peter ran into the common room, he nearly ran into Morgan, but spun out of her way. Morgan, of course, immediately latched onto his leg, stopping him. 
> 
> “Kiddo.” Tony came into view, leaning on his cane, a tired expression on his face. But it melted into a smile when he saw Morgan attached to Peter’s leg. 
> 
> “It seems I’m slightly trapped.” Peter quipped, glancing down at his little sister.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with this story! Sorry for such a long wait, I was a little uninspired for awhile. But the inspiration's back! Enjoy!

“Come on kid, let's get a move on.”

“Coming!” Peter ran out of his room, a backpack hoisted over his shoulder. He knew they were running late because he had overslept that morning, after being out late as Spider-Man. As Peter ran into the common room, he nearly ran into Morgan, but spun out of her way. Morgan, of course, immediately latched onto his leg, stopping him. 

“Kiddo.” Tony came into view, leaning on his cane, a tired expression on his face. But it melted into a smile when he saw Morgan attached to Peter’s leg. 

“It seems I’m slightly trapped.” Peter quipped, glancing down at his little sister. “Are you going to let me go, Mo?” Morgan shook her head. “And why not?”

“Because if you go to school,” Morgan began. “Then I won’t see you for the whole weekend.” Peter chuckled a little and scooped Morgan up. 

“It’s just two days, Mo.” Morgan shook her head and Peter kissed her cheek. “Dad and I will be back Sunday. And I’ll read you three bedtime stories. How does that sound?”

“Promise?” Morgan asked and Peter nodded. “Okay.” She hugged him before wriggling out of his arms and running off. 

“You’re a good brother, you know that?” Tony asked and Peter shrugged. “Alright, come on, kid. Happy’s waiting in the garage.” They headed towards the elevator. “Your other bag is in the car?”

“Yes.”

“And you’ve got the signed permission slip?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” As they stood in the elevator, Tony wrapped his good arm around Peter and hugged his son. “That European trip is going to be a lot of fun. Maybe I’ll convince your mom to take the jet to the last destination and pick you up there. We could do a family getaway after your school trip.”

“Sounds great, Dad.” Tony smiled and ruffled his son’s hair. When they reached the garage, Tony stepped out of the elevator and then leaned on his cane. 

“I’ll be in the car with Happy at the end of the day.” Tony said. “We want to beat rush hour traffic.”

“Got it.” Peter nodded. “I’ll see you later.” Then he jogged towards the car where Happy was waiting. Tony sighed and gripped the cane, a small spasm of pain going through him. He glanced at the car, seeing that Peter and Happy weren’t paying attention. Tony blew out a breath and then got back into the elevator.

He’d be fine. Tony could handle a little pain if it meant seeing the new Compound with his son. That was more important to him.

* * *

Peter huffed as he blocked a punch from Wanda. She went to sweep his leg and he jumped out of the way before sending a snap kick into her side. Peter then grabbed Wanda’s arm and flipped her onto the ground. 

“Damn.” Peter chuckled as he helped Wanda up. “You’re getting better. Although I think it’s unfair that you’re naturally stronger than me.”

“Spiders can apparently lift tons.” Peter shrugged as he tossed Wanda a water bottle. 

“Spiders are strong and deadly,” Nat added with a smirk. “When they want to be.”

“Not all of us want to be.” Peter replied and Nat chuckled. She was about to say something when her phone started ringing. 

“Sorry.” Nat went to turn it off when she raised an eyebrow. “Just a second.” She stepped away to take the call. Peter sat down on a bench and drank a generous amount of water. Wanda was standing nearby, stretching. He wondered if moving back into the new Compound was going to be difficult for her. The more Peter trained with Wanda, the more he wondered about her. She stuck close to Nat since Vision died and didn’t talk about him much, other than their first training session, but Peter could tell she missed him. He was about to say something to Wanda when his enhanced hearing picked up Nat’s call. 

“ _ Laura is freaking out _ .” He could hear Clint’s voice through the call. “ _ We’ve been going through enough as it is, this might just break us, Nat _ .”

“Calm down, Clint.” Nat said in a hushed tone. “How long has she been gone?”

“ _ I checked her room at 11 last night _ .” Peter raised an eyebrow, but then ducked his head, so it wasn’t obvious he was listening. “ _ And then I went to wake her up this morning and her bed was empty. Her bike’s gone too, along with $200 from my wallet _ .” Peter’s eyes went wide, realizing who Clint was talking about. 

And then his phone started buzzing in his pocket. 

Peter quickly excused himself from the gym, having a feeling he knew who was calling him. He quickly ducked into the room he was staying in at the Compound and answered the call. 

“Did you run away from home?” He heard a sniff on the other end. “Lila?”

“ _ Yes, okay _ .”

“Christ Lila, what were you thinking?”

“ _ My parents have been arguing like crazy _ ,” Lila said. “ _ I just...I can’t take it anymore _ .  _ My dad...he’s so…”  _ He heard Lila sniff and it sounded like she might’ve been crying. _ “I had to get away _ .”

“Where did you go?” There was silence on the other end. Peter wondered if he should have even called Lila or gotten involved in this. But Lila was his friend. She had kept his secret long before anyone else had. “Lila. You can tell me. I won’t tell anyone else.”

“ _ I’m here. At the Compound _ .” Peter’s eyes went wide and he nearly dropped the phone. “ _ Technically, I’m hiding in a bush outside _ .”

“Lila.” He hissed, keeping his voice as quiet as possible. “Nat and Wanda are here. Don’t you think the first thing they’re going to do is bring you right back home?”

“ _ I didn’t have anywhere else to go _ ,” Lila pointed out. “ _ And you’re the only person who can understand what I’m going through _ .” Peter sighed. “ _ Please, Peter. _ ” Hearing her plea, Peter began weighing his options.

“There’s an entrance around the back.” He finally said. “I’ll be there in a minute.”

“ _ Thank you _ .” And then the call ended. Peter sighed, wondering if this was all going to blow up in his face. But he owed this much to Lila to try and help her. 

So, with a sigh, he went to go find her. 

* * *

Tony sat in the lab at the Compound, trying to focus on what Bruce was saying. But there was a gnawing pain in his chest that was making it hard to focus. 

“Tony?” He looked at Bruce, noticing concern on his friend’s face. “Are you okay? You keep wincing.”

“Just a little pain.” Tony assured, flexing the prosthetic arm. “Nothing too bad.”

“We can take a break if you want,” Bruce offered. “I should probably take the sling off and stretch a little.”

“We’re a fun pair, aren’t we?” Tony asked and Bruce smirked a little at that. It was nice having Bruce around, especially since they understood what the other was going through. Tony suspected that Bruce was in less pain than him, since gamma radiation had been running through his blood since he became the Hulk, but it was still nice to have a friend who understood his kind of pain. Bruce was about to continue when Nat walked in. 

“Sorry to interrupt,” Nat said. “But I have to take off.”

“Everything okay?” Bruce asked. 

“Clint just called me.” Nat explained. “Lila ran away. He and Laura are freaking out, so I’m going to take one of the jets and help them look for her.”

“Geez.” Tony muttered. “Have you talked to Peter? He’s got Lila’s number and she’d probably answer his call.”

“That’s not a bad idea.” Nat replied. “He slipped out of the gym while I was on the phone with Clint.” Tony chuckled, assuming his kid disappeared to get a snack or take a break from Nat’s rigorous training routine.

“FRIDAY, where’s Peter?”

“ _ In his room with a guest, boss _ .” Tony raised an eyebrow at that. 

“And who, praytell, does my son have in his room with him?” Tony asked, as Bruce tried to hide a snicker. 

“ _ My database has recognized this guest as Lila Barton _ .” Tony looked at Nat, who just let out a long sigh. 

“Damn it, Peter.” Tony mumbled. He turned to Nat. “Are you calling Clint?” She nodded and Tony sighed. He didn’t know if he should be shocked or disappointed in his son. “FRI, tell Peter to come to the lab. And to bring Lila with him.” 

“I think I should go.” Bruce said. Tony sighed as Bruce exited the lab and Nat called Clint. Between the pain in his chest and Peter hiding Lila in the Compound, he was filled with a lot of conflicting emotions. 

He was going to have to have a long conversation with his son.


	11. Emergency

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I had to, Dad.”
> 
> “Kid, Lila ran away from home.”
> 
> “For a good reason.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to my beta reader Radiance3sun!

Peter shouldn’t have been surprised that he got busted. The Compound, like every place his dad built, was watched over by FRIDAY. He was more surprised by how quickly he had been caught helping Lila. She had been in his room for barely five minutes before FRIDAY informed him that he and Lila were needed in the lab. 

And the two had been sitting in the lab in silence ever since. 

Nat had called Clint, who was relieved that Lila was safe and on his way to the Compound. Lila looked upset by this information, which Nat seemed to notice. Peter, who was sitting next to her, was avoiding his dad’s gaze. He knew his dad was probably upset with him for lying. Peter tried not to lie to his dad since the Homecoming incident (which felt like ages ago), but Lila had needed his help. 

“Peter.” Peter didn’t look up at his dad, choosing to look at his fidgeting hands in his lap. “Peter, come here please.” Peter glanced at Lila, who sent him an apologetic look. Peter sighed and walked over to where his dad was sitting. “Kid, I need you to look at me.” Peter hesitantly looked up at his dad, seeing the disappointment in his eyes. 

“I had to, Dad.” Tony sighed. 

“Kid, Lila ran away from home.”

“For a good reason.” Tony gave his son a look. “Dad, Lila’s my friend and she needed my help. She’s helped me before. It was the least I could do.”

“Kid, just because you trusted her with your secret doesn’t mean you hide her when she runs away.”

“I had to.” Peter reiterated. Tony looked at his son closely. Peter had a big heart, Tony knew that better than anyone. He put his own body on the line countless times to help and protect innocent people. He then remembered a conversation they had after Morgan’s birthday. 

“How bad is it?” Tony asked gently. 

“Her parents argue all the time.” Peter admitted. “And Lila can tell her dad’s not the same as he was before and I think that scares her.” Tony sighed. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the minute she showed up, but I wanted to help my friend.” 

“And that’s admirable of you kid,” Tony assured him. “But hiding her in the Compound? Where her dad has access to?”

“You found out like ten minutes after she showed up,” Peter admitted. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” Tony sighed, ignoring the growing pain in his chest. He assumed it had to do with this whole situation and that he’d feel better when Clint showed up.

“Go keep your friend company,” Tony suggested. He glanced over at Lila, whose face was hidden by her hair. “She looks like she might need it.”

“Thanks, Dad.” Tony nodded and Peter went back over to where Lila was. He noticed the tension in Lila’s body melt away when Peter sat down next to her. 

“Something’s wrong.” Tony flinched a little when Nat snuck up on him. He massaged his chest, the pain a little more prominent.

“I hate when you sneak up on me.”

“Sorry.” Tony just rolled his eyes and nodded for Nat to continue. “Something’s wrong with Lila. I’ve known her since she was born and I’ve never known her to be impulsive or to act like this.” Tony sighed.

“I think it has a lot to do with how different Clint is,” Tony said quietly. Nat’s face fell at that. “I think Lila can tell. And she doesn’t like it.”

“He went through a lot when they all disappeared.” Nat said quietly.

“We all did.” She nodded solemnly. “I think Peter’s been trying to help, but their situations are vastly different. He came back and Pep and I got married and had Morgan. Lila came back to her dad...well, you know.”

“Should I talk to Lila?” Nat asked. “She trusts me.” Nat looked over at Lila. When the younger girl noticed her aunt’s gaze, she looked away. 

“Maybe give her some space,” Tony advised. “You did call Clint first.” Nat sighed and nodded. She then looked carefully at him. “Something on my face?”

“You look a little pale.”

“Didn’t sleep much last night.” Tony hoped Nat would accept that and move on. His pain from the stones was nothing to worry about. Shuri, Strange and Helen had done everything to save him. He was going to be fine; he just had to get used to living with the pain. Nat just nodded, her focus more on Clint’s daughter than Tony. 

“She’ll be okay.” Tony assured Nat. “But let’s give them some space. Maybe grab them some snacks or something.” Nat smiled a little. “What?”

“I don’t always agree with your battle strategies,” Nat began. “But I’ve always known one thing from the moment I met you; you’re a fantastic father.”

“I think that might be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me, Agent Romanoff.” Nat chuckled at that and then they headed out of the lab.

* * *

“Lila.” Peter noticed Lila tense up when Clint walked into the lab. “I’m so glad you’re okay.” As he moved towards her, Lila stood up from the stool, putting it between her and her father. 

“Where’s Mom?” Clint frowned at her response. 

“Someone had to stay with the boys.” Peter watched Lila carefully, noticing a look of fear starting to cross her face. 

“Coop’s old enough to watch Nate.” Lila pointed out, her voice quivering slightly. “Mom should’ve come with you.”

“We can talk about it on the ride home.” Clint said. “Come on.”

“Is Aunt Nat coming with us?” Lila asked, looking at the redhead. Nat just shook her head and Lila took another step back. 

“Lila.”

“I’m not going with you.” Clint looked shocked at his daughter’s response.

“Lila, sweetie,” Nat said, trying to approach her. Lila moved so she was hiding behind Peter, sniffling as she did. 

“Lila, you need to stop this.” Clint scolded. “Your mom was terrified when you took off. It’s time to go home.”

“I’m not going with you!” Clint moved towards his daughter and Peter stood up, sensing that he needed to protect his friend. 

“Stark, tell your kid to move.” Clint ordered, eyeing Peter. Lila grabbed Peter’s arm and he stood his ground. Clint looked at Tony, who just held his hands up. “Kid, I know you're strong, but I’ll move you myself if you don’t move.”

“Don’t threaten my kid, Barton.” Clint glared at Tony. 

“Lila,” Clint said, gritting his teeth. “We’re leaving now.”

“No!”

“And why the hell not?”

“You’ve changed!” Clint took a step back, surprised by his daughter’s accusation. Even Peter was surprised. “You and Mom have been arguing for months! Because of what you did and who you became! And I’m terrified Dad, because you always say I’m just like you. I don’t want to be like you!”

“Lila,” Nat started, but the girl shook her head. 

“You always wanted me to learn how to shoot a bow and arrow,” Lila continued. “You used to joke that I could be a spy like you because I was so good at eavesdropping. But I’ve heard you and Mom arguing about what happened to you. I don’t want to kill people!” Tony grimaced a little at Lila’s declaration, especially when he saw a hurt look cross Clint’s face. Peter just stood between Lila and Clint, shocked by what she was saying. 

“We are not talking about this here.” Clint said, a mix of shame and frustration on his face. “We can talk about this at home, with your mother.”

“Mom says you're different,” Lila continued, ignoring him. “And she’s right. Something happened to you and I don’t want it to happen to me.” Clint moved towards them again and Peter fully blocked his path. 

“Clint,” Nat warned, seeing anger cross his eyes.

“Move, Peter.” Peter shook his head and Clint angrily huffed. Without a second thought, he grabbed two fistfuls of Peter’s shirt. 

“Barton, get your hands off my kid!” Tony could feel his chest tightening, pain searing through his entire body. He ignored it, focusing on the problem at hand.

“Then tell him to move away from my daughter!” Peter tried to stay calm as Clint’s grip tightened on his shirt. He could hear Lila crying behind him and Nat moving towards her to try and comfort her. 

“Barton!” Tony tried to get Clint to release his son. But as he took a step forward, Tony felt a sudden burst of pain shoot through his chest. He cried out as he tumbled to the ground.

“Dad!” Clint let go of Peter’s shirt as Tony hit the ground. Peter ran over to his dad, fear swallowing him up. He could see his dad was shaking, his breath coming out in weak puffs. 

“Help,” Tony managed to mutter out. There was commotion around Peter, Nat calling for Bruce, Lila sobbing, and Clint looking for medical supplies. Peter felt frozen at his dad’s side. Suddenly, he was seven years old again, in the Malibu mansion, struggling to stay calm as his father gasped for air, the arc reactor missing from his chest. 

“Dad,” Peter cried out. “Please don’t leave me.” He grabbed his dad’s hand, waiting for Tony to say something, to comfort him. But unlike when Peter was seven, his dad didn’t reach out for him. He was drifting too far into the pain, being pulled away from Peter. Peter was forced to sit there, unable to move, not knowing what else he could do. 


	12. Prognosis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter paced outside of the medbay. Doctor Strange had been called first because he could get there the fastest. Then, as Bruce assisted Strange, Nat and Clint went to get Shuri and Helen. Peter hadn’t seen his dad since Strange had arrived. He and Bruce had moved Tony to the medbay and then covered the windows. All of that left Peter feeling panicked and unnerved. 

Peter paced outside of the medbay. Doctor Strange had been called first because he could get there the fastest. Then, as Bruce assisted Strange, Nat and Clint went to get Shuri and Helen. Peter hadn’t seen his dad since Strange had arrived. He and Bruce had moved Tony to the medbay and then covered the windows. All of that left Peter feeling panicked and unnerved. 

“You should stop pacing.” Peter looked at Lila, who was sitting on the floor. Her running away from home had been pushed to the side once Tony had passed out in front of all of them. “It’s not going to help anything.”

“I’m just freaking out, Lila.” She nodded and he sighed. Peter sat down next to her, leaning his head back against the wall. “Dad’s been in a lot of pain since he woke up. I think it’s because he used the stones.”

“Is that true?” Peter looked up, seeing Doctor Strange standing before him. 

“Is my dad…?”

“He’s stabilized until Shuri and Dr. Cho can get here.” Peter nodded. “Has Tony been in pain since he used the stones?”

“Yeah.” Peter admitted. “He thought it was normal, just a symptom of using them.”

“How bad is it?” Peter eyed the doctor, trying to understand what information Strange wanted to collect. 

“He says some days, it’s just a nagging pain,” Peter explained. “But I’ve seen my dad nearly double over in agony or shout so loudly I can hear him from my room.”

“I heard it over video chat as well.” Lila added. Peter noticed that Doctor Strange was nodding, a pensive, but unreadable expression on his face.

“He thought it was normal.” Doctor Strange sighed at that and Peter felt his chest tighten a little. “Is it not normal?”

“I need to run some tests,” Doctor Strange simply replied. “And I need a few other people here before I can make a prognosis.” Peter just nodded. “Hopefully, I can have some answers for you soon.” Peter nodded again and then Doctor Strange went back into the medbay.

“Not much of a bedside manner, huh?” Peter attempted a laugh at Lila’s quip, but it just sounded like an exhale of breath. “He’s going to be okay, Peter.”

“He has to be.” Peter needed his dad to be okay. He didn’t want to imagine a world without his father. It actually seemed impossible to think that way. His dad had survived every other obstacle before him; he had to survive this. 

Lila, noting Peter’s silence, simply wrapped her arm around his and rested her head on his shoulder. Peter sighed and let his head dip down against hers. Lila’s presence was calming him and keeping him from panicking. For that, he was eternally grateful. 

Now, all he had to do was wait.

* * *

“Peter.” The two teenagers were still sitting on the floor when Pepper appeared holding Morgan, Rhodey trailing behind her. Peter stood up just as Pepper reached him. She shifted Morgan to hug Peter tightly. He hugged his mother back, trying not to cry. 

“Petey?” Peter looked at his little sister. “Is Daddy going to be okay?”

“Yeah, Mo.” Peter promised. “And until we get to see him, we have to be really strong, okay?” Morgan nodded and Pepper smiled a little. 

“Lila,” Pepper called, getting the other girl’s attention. Lila stood up as Pepper set Morgan down. “Do you think you can take Morgan to the kitchen? Happy’s there.”

“Sure,” Lila said. She squatted down to be at Morgan’s eye level. “Hi Morgan. Remember me? I was at your birthday party?”

“You’re Nate’s sister.” Lila nodded and smiled. 

“Go with Lila, okay baby?” Pepper asked. Morgan nodded and took Lila’s hand. Lila glanced at Peter before walking away with Morgan. Pepper let out a long sigh once Morgan was gone. 

“What happened?” Rhodey asked, moving to stand next to Peter.

“There was a situation with Lila,” Peter explained. “And everyone was arguing and Dad went to move and he just... collapsed.” Pepper’s lips pressed into a line and Peter could tell she was struggling to keep it together. “Doctor Strange, Bruce, Shuri, and Dr. Cho are all in there.”

“Okay,” Pepper sighed. “I guess we just wait.” She moved towards the medbay, staring at the closed curtains. There was a sad look on her face, yet she was still so composed. Peter always admired how strong and put together Pepper was. She may not biologically be his mother, but he was lucky to call such a strong person his mom. 

“So kiddo,” Rhodey patted Peter’s shoulder. “You’re being awfully strong. I can’t imagine it was easy seeing that.”

“It reminded me of when I was seven,” Peter admitted, just loud enough for Rhodey. Rhodey let out a sad sigh. He knew exactly what Peter meant; Rhodey was the one who found Tony and Peter in the workshop of the Malibu mansion, after the arc reactor had been stolen. 

“Then you know he’s going to be okay,” Rhodey assured him. “Just like he was then.”

“I know.” It was the only thing Peter could believe. 

“Your dad would be so proud of how strong you’re being.” Rhodey assured.

“I promised him I would be.” Rhodey smiled a little and pulled Peter in for a hug. Peter welcomed his uncle's embrace. He knew what he really needed was a hug from his dad, but any comfort would have to do until Peter could see him.

“How about we go see what snack your sister was getting?” Rhodey offered. 

“Sure.” Peter glanced over at Pepper. “Mom?”

“You go ahead, sweetie.” Peter nodded and started to follow Rhodey. Then he quickly turned back and walked over to Pepper. She glanced at him, wondering what he was going to do or say, and Peter simply hugged her. Pepper hugged him back, kissing the top of his head. “Thank you, Peter.” She brushed some of the hair off his face and smiled. Peter smiled before following Rhodey towards the kitchen.

* * *

It was hours later when Doctor Strange finally exited the medbay again. Morgan was fast asleep on the couch, her head resting on Pepper’s lap. Peter was sitting next to them, attempting to do homework but failing miserably due to a supreme lack of focus. Clint had left, but not with Lila in tow. Lila had briefly told Peter her dad was going to get the rest of her family, feeling like Lila’s declarations deserved a family conversation. For now, Lila was camped out in Nat’s room, the woman she called her aunt trying to talk to her. Wanda was there too, but Peter assumed it was just to be out of the way. 

“So, what’s going on?” Rhodey was by the kitchen island, Happy hovering nearby. Doctor Strange glanced at Peter, who had placed his homework aside, and Morgan was still asleep. 

“You can say it in front of them.” Pepper insisted. “They deserve to know.” Doctor Strange sighed and Peter felt his chest tighten. 

“The radiation from the stones has seriously affected Tony’s heart.” Peter heard Pepper gasp a little. “Which, from his past medical issues, was already fairly compromised. Helen is working on some ideas with Shuri, but for now we need to keep him here for observation.”

“Is Dad going to be okay?” Peter asked the question everyone in the room was thinking. “When we were on Titan, when you saw all those timelines, did you see anything about this?”

“I only saw the moment when he snapped his fingers.” Strange admitted. “He survived that. We’ll make sure he survives this.”

“Thank you.” Strange nodded. 

“Can we see him?” Peter asked. Strange nodded again and then headed back towards the medbay. Peter stood up and looked at everyone in the room. 

“You go first, sweetie.” Pepper suggested. “I’m going to put Morgan down.” Peter nodded and headed towards the medbay. He could see Bruce, Shuri, Helen, and Doctor Strange with their heads bent together, talking quietly. Shuri seemed to notice Peter and walked over to him.

“The arm you and your father made was impressive.” Peter nodded as he stared through the glass at his dad. From where he was standing, it just looked like Tony was sleeping but Peter knew that was far from the truth. “We’re going to help him, I promise.”

“You’re being so helpful.” Peter started. “Why?”

“I lost my father.” Shuri replied, a quiet fierceness to her voice. “I won’t let anyone else lose theirs.” Peter glanced at Shuri in a new perspective. She was maybe a year older than him, but there was so much wisdom and kindness to her words. Shuri gently patted his shoulder before heading back to the others. 

Then, Peter made his way towards his dad. 

“Hi, Dad.” Peter took a seat next to the bed, fidgeting with his hands. “We’re all here, Mom just told me to come in first.” Peter felt a few tears prick at his eyes, staring at his dad’s unconscious form. “I know you told me to be strong and I’m trying really hard. But I need you to wake up, okay?” He squeezed his dad’s hand, but there was no response. “Please, Dad.” Peter would sit there all night if it meant he got to see his dad wake up. He needed his dad to wake up.

He couldn’t do this without him.


	13. Regret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What if I made the wrong choice?” Pepper tilted her head at that. “What if...when Mary came to me all those years ago, what if I made the wrong choice?”

“Sup, dork.” Peter closed his locker with an exhausted sigh. MJ’s normally neutral and unimpressed expression softened when she saw Peter’s face. “Hey, are you okay?”

“Just a rough weekend.” Peter replied quietly. MJ nodded. 

“We can talk about it, if you want.” Peter attempted a smile. “Or I could tell you about this documentary about the Zodiac Killer I watched this weekend.”

“I think I’d prefer the latter.” MJ nodded and started talking. Peter tried to listen as they made their way down the hallway. He hadn’t wanted to come to school. He would’ve preferred to stay at the Compound with his dad. Tony had yet to wake up and Peter was obviously worried. Doctor Strange assured that it was fine and his dad needed the rest. Either way, Peter had wanted to stay by his side. But Pepper had insisted he go to school. She and Rhodey were at the Compound and promised to text Peter if Tony woke up. It should’ve been enough to assuage his worry, but it wasn’t.

“Hey, guys!” Ned’s cheery voice cut through Peter’s thoughts and MJ’s explanation of the documentary she watched.

“Where’s Betty?” MJ asked as Ned fell into step with them. Ned glanced at Peter, who just nodded to his best friend. 

“Already getting ready for the morning news.” Ned explained. “I just dropped her off at the Journalism room.” MJ nodded as they walked into Mr. Harrington’s classroom. “She and I were talking about the Europe trip before, though.” Peter grimaced at that. He had completely forgotten about the trip.

“What grossly romantic things are you two planning?”

“A gondola ride in Venice,” Ned answered. “And then a tour of the glass-blowing factory.”

“Not the worst.” Peter could barely follow along. The trip was only a few weeks away. How was he supposed to go on a two-week vacation to Europe when his dad’s health was in such a bad place? He’d hardly be able to enjoy himself, let alone stop worrying about his dad.

“Peter?” He realized Ned was trying to get his attention. “I was asking what you were looking forward to doing in Venice?” Peter simply sighed in response.

“Peter, are you sure you’re okay?” MJ asked. Peter looked at his two friends, who were wearing expressions of concern. 

“No.” Peter admitted. “And I don’t know if I’m going to be able to go on the trip.”

“What?” Ned exclaimed, his mouth dropping open. MJ raised an eyebrow at Peter and he sighed. 

“My dad-” Peter could feel his chest tightening a little. “He’s having some health problems and...and I don’t know if it’s right for me to go.”

“Dude, your dad would never make you stay home.” Peter nodded. That was the worst part. If his dad knew what he was thinking, he’d tell Peter he had to go, that he had to live his life. But how was Peter supposed to enjoy himself when radiation from the Infinity Stones was trying to kill his dad? Before he had to explain himself, Mr. Harrington was getting everyone’s attention to take attendance. 

“I don’t know what’s going on,” MJ started, leaning towards Peter. “But this trip will be less cool if you’re not there.” She offered him a crooked smile that, if Peter wasn’t feeling so glum, would’ve made his stomach jump. He just nodded, unable to fully form a smile. MJ awkwardly patted his arm before leaning back into her seat. 

And Peter, Peter could only sigh for the millionth time, and hope the day rolled by quickly.

* * *

Tony let out a groan as his eyes slowly opened. Everything hurt, but especially his chest. Why did his chest hurt so much? He moved his hand to adjust the arc reactor, but nearly gasped when he didn’t find it there. 

“Daddy?” Tony looked around, expecting to find tufts of curly brown hair. Instead, he found Morgan staring at him. He shook his head, trying to bring himself back to the present. 

“Tony?” He found Pepper standing at the doorway, her lips quivering. 

“Hey, Pep.” Pepper crossed to him and he reached for her hands as soon as she was close enough. 

“Daddy, Mommy said you needed to sleep a lot,” Morgan said. Tony nodded, still trying to figure out why his brain had transported him to a time so long ago. Pepper noticed the look on his face. She let go of Tony’s hands and lifted Morgan up. 

“Baby,” Pepper started. “Will you go tell your Uncle Rhodey that Daddy’s awake?” She set Morgan down and the little girl scurried off. Pepper sat down on Tony’s bed, her hand resting on his leg. 

“How long was I out?”

“Two days.” Tony sighed. “Do you want to tell me what’s on your mind?”

“I just…” Pepper squeezed his leg reassuringly. “I thought...I thought I still had the arc reactor and when I heard Morgan’s voice...I expected it to be Peter.”

“Any reason why?”

“I don’t know.” Pepper gave him a look. “Just...everything I’ve done over the last 15 or so years...I never was honest with Peter about half of it, hoping that I’d never really have to relive those moments. But he’s not a little kid anymore. He’s almost an adult and I think everything that’s been happening is bringing up a lot of trauma neither of us ever dealt with.”

“Maybe it’s something both of you need to discuss then.” Pepper suggested. “Either with each other or a professional.” Tony nodded, a gnawing thought bubbling up. “I know that face. Whatever you’re thinking, don’t.”

“What if I made the wrong choice?” Pepper tilted her head at that. “What if...when Mary came to me all those years ago, what if I made the wrong choice?”

“Tony.” Her voice was sad. Tony sighed. 

“The look on Peter’s face the other day when I collapsed,” Tony continued. “Or when we were at home. Everything I’ve put that kid through and for what? So I could be laid up in the hospital with more medical problems than anyone in the world? He could’ve lived a life where he didn’t have to deal with any of that.”

“But a life without you?” Pepper asked. “Is it really right to think like that?”

“Would he be better off?” The question was building up before it escaped his lips. If he hadn’t seen Mary that day, if he had been selfish enough, Peter could’ve had a normal life. Mary would’ve asked May and Ben to raise Peter and his son wouldn’t have lived through so many traumatic moments. Maybe Tony had made a mistake thinking he could be a good father. 

“No.” Pepper took his hand and squeezed. “Tony I have seen you with Peter for his entire life. You have been an amazing father.”

“I screwed up so much with him.”

“And that’s parenting.” Tony looked at her, his vision slightly blurred by a few tears. “But you have been the best thing in Peter’s life. He wouldn’t be the person he is without you.” Tony nodded, not knowing if he believed her. Pepper stood up and pressed a long kiss to his cheek. “You’ve made all the right decisions with Peter, Tony. Please believe that.” Tony squeezed her hand, trying to believe what she was telling him. “I’m going to go check on Morgan and let everyone know you’re awake.” Tony nodded and let go of her hands, watching her leave. When she was gone, he let his head drop against the pillow.

Tony loved his son with all his heart. But after everything he had put Peter through, he didn’t know if he really was doing a good job as a parent. Would Peter grow to resent him like Lila had with Clint? Or would he just continue to traumatise his eldest until their relationship was strained and broken? 

Maybe it was the exhaustion or just the sadness that he might have ruined the best part of his life that caused Tony to drift off back to sleep, knowing whatever sleep he got would be a restless slumber, full of worry and regret.

* * *

“Dad?” Peter stood at the door of the small room, staring at his father. Tony was lying in the bed, barely interacting with the tablet on his lap. Tony glanced at his son, everything he was feeling earlier crawling back up into his chest. 

“Hey, kid.” Peter walked into the room and went to sit down in the chair by the bed, but Tony shook his head. “Can you sit with me?” Peter nodded and sat down on the bed next to his dad. Peter’s head drifted down to Tony’s shoulder, like he always did when they sat together. Tony tentatively wrapped his arm around his son. They sat in silence for a while, Peter fidgeting with his hands and Tony just watching his son. 

“I don’t think I should go on the trip.” The silence was broken by Peter.

“I disagree.” Peter sat up at that and Tony’s arm fell away. “Kid, you deserve a normal life. You deserve to feel like you’re just a teenager who gets to go on a school trip with his friends.”

“But you’re…”

“Not going to ruin my son’s life anymore.” Peter frowned at that. “Peter, I can’t stand the idea that I’ve ruined normalcy for you.”

“Normal’s overrated.” Tony wanted to smile at that, but he needed Peter to truly hear him. 

“I’ve put you through so much.” Tony began, his voice thick with regret. “You deserve so much more than you’ve been given. You need to go on this trip.”

“Dad, where is this coming from?” Tony sighed. 

“I don’t want us to get to a place where you hate me or are afraid of me.”

“I could never feel that way, Dad.” Tony looked away, not sure if he believed his son. “Dad, you’re my hero. You always have been.”

“Some hero.” Tony grumbled. “I’ve nearly died more times than I care to count and have abandoned you too often.”

“None of that is your fault.” Peter insisted. “And Iron Man’s not my hero. You are.” Tony looked at Peter, at those big doe eyes he had adored since the minute Peter was born, and saw a fierce sincerity to them. “You’re my hero because you stayed. Because you wanted me. I never thought it was weird to not have a mom around because you loved me twice as much. I could never hate you because you loved me enough for two people.” 

Tony stared at his son, surprised and warmed by his son’s words. He never knew Peter felt that way. They hardly talked about Mary. Tony knew Peter knew some things from May about his biological mother and stepfather, but he always thought Peter was too worried about Tony’s reaction to ask about her. Instead, it was clear his son didn’t need to know about Mary. Because in Peter’s eyes, he was okay without her. 

Tony pulled Peter into a hug. The teenager melted into the embrace, burying his face in his dad’s shoulder. Tony hugged him as tightly as he could with an IV in his arm, pressing a fierce kiss to the top of his son’s head. 

“I love you Dad, and nothing is ever going to change that.”

“When did you get so wise, huh?” Tony murmured, pulling away enough just to look at his kid. His brilliant and wonderful kid.

“Guess I just had a great dad.” Tony chuckled before pulling Peter back in for another hug. Maybe things weren’t perfect. Maybe he had messed up along the way. But Peter loved him anyways. 

That was enough for Tony. 


	14. Figuring Things Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He missed the Tower. He missed his parents and Morgan. Since Tony was at the Compound, Morgan and Pepper had temporarily moved there as well. Pepper did most of her work remotely, so she could stay by Tony’s side. Morgan wasn’t in school yet, so she could stay with them. But Peter couldn’t miss out on school. It was decided it would be easier if Peter stayed with May until the Midtown trip. And Peter loved his aunt, he really did. But he missed the comfort of home.

“Up you get, sleepyhead!” Peter groaned as he stretched across the small twin bed in his room of May’s apartment. He had been staying there for the last week or so. His dad was still at the Compound, as Helen, Bruce, and Doctor Strange worked on a solution to his medical problems. Shuri had returned to Wakanda, because she had duties there. Lila was also staying at the Compound with Nat and Wanda. Peter was fuzzy on the details (Lila hadn’t wanted to overwhelm him with everything going on with his dad), but Clint had let her stay there while he and Laura figured some things out. 

“Hey,” May started as the door opened. 

“I’m up,” Peter replied, sitting up. “I swear.” May chuckled at that. 

“You’ve got a half hour until Happy gets here.” May reminded. “So do your thing and try not to skip out on breakfast.”

“Did you cook?” May gave him a playful scowl and Peter chuckled. 

“Ben would be so pleased at how well you make fun of me.” May mused. “Now move it.” She closed the door and Peter sighed. As he went about getting ready, his thoughts drifted off. 

He missed the Tower. He missed his parents and Morgan. Since Tony was at the Compound, Morgan and Pepper had temporarily moved there as well. Pepper did most of her work remotely, so she could stay by Tony’s side. Morgan wasn’t in school yet, so she could stay with them. But Peter couldn’t miss out on school. It was decided it would be easier if Peter stayed with May until the Midtown trip. And Peter loved his aunt, he really did. But he missed the comfort of home. Sure, Peter saw his family on the weekends and spoke to them every night, but that just didn’t feel like enough for Peter. 

But he also knew it was necessary. 

Between school and patrol, going to the Compound every day wasn’t logical. Also, Peter was about to go on a two-week trip to Europe, so it was kind of necessary for him to get used to not seeing his family.

That didn’t mean Peter had to like it.

He slowly got dressed and made sure his bag was packed before making his way out into the small apartment. May was sitting at the kitchen table, sipping on a cup of coffee. 

“So Happy’s picking you up from school,” May started as Peter sat down at the table. “He’ll bring you to the Community Center for the fundraiser for the hospital, okay?” Peter nodded as he ate breakfast. 

“Is anyone else going to be there?” He always felt weird referring to Pepper as 'Mom' in front of May. The one time he had, a hurt look had crossed May’s face. While Peter knew nothing about his biological mother, May had been close with Mary so he tried not to do it in front of her. 

“Pepper texted me and said she can’t make it,” May explained. “Something about a work call.” Peter sighed, trying not to let his shoulders slump. “I know, kiddo.” Peter finished breakfast in silence before getting up. “Also, Happy said he’d take you to the Tower later so you can make sure you have everything packed.”

“Cool,” Peter said, shouldering his backpack. “I’ll see you later May.”

“Bye, sweetie.” And then Peter headed out of the apartment, hoping today was going to be a decent day.

* * *

Peter sat in study hall, pen tapping against a notebook. It was the end of the year. Finals were a few days away, but he surprisingly felt prepared for finals. Though that was probably because Peter made himself study instead of worrying about his dad’s health or missing his family. Ned had laughed at how thorough Peter’s study guides were before asking for a copy. 

“Sup, dorks.” The pen nearly dropped from Peter’s hand as MJ approached. His stomach did its normal attempt at a cheerleading routine when MJ was around. There was no denying it anymore; Peter had a massive crush on MJ. He just didn’t know what to do about it. MJ was his friend, a good friend, and those were hard to come by. Plus, she was hard to read. Sometimes, MJ would give him a crooked smile and Peter thought that meant she liked him as well. Other times, she’d look at him like she’d look at everyone else, with that neutral expression of boredom. 

“H-hey,” Peter stuttered out, ignoring the smirk that crossed Ned’s face. “What’s up?”

“Just finishing up my portfolio for art class,” MJ shrugged. “You guys?”

“Attempting to study.”

“He says attempting like he hasn’t made the world’s most in-depth study guide.” Ned quipped, a teasing tone to his voice. “I swear if that study guide doesn’t help us get As, then I don’t know school anymore.”

“Any chance I could check it out?” MJ asked. “My portfolio has taken up a lot of time and I don’t want to do poorly on Mr. Dell’s final.”

“Oh, uh-sure,” Peter agreed. “Though I’m sure you’ll do great. You have the highest GPA in the grade.” MJ smiled a little at that and Peter felt his ears go red. “I’ll, uh, text you a picture.”

“Cool.” And then MJ walked away. Peter watched her go, a dopey gaze on his face. When she was gone, Ned smacked Peter’s arm. 

“What was that for?”

“When are you going to ask her out?” Peter sputtered, like he had no idea what Ned was talking about. “Dude, your crush on MJ is ridiculously obvious and if you weren’t going through stuff because of your dad’s health, I would be mad that you hadn’t told me.”

“Is it that obvious?” Peter asked, his ears only growing more red. 

“Way more obvious than when Betty wanted me to ask her out.” Ned confirmed and Peter groaned a little. “Dude, just ask MJ out.”

“It’s not that simple,” Peter protested. Ned gave him a look. “Dude, like you said, Betty  _ wanted _ you to ask her out. I don’t know if MJ even likes me.” Ned pursed his lips at that. “I mean, sometimes she smiles at me and is really nice and there was that time at Morgan’s birthday when I think she might’ve been jealous because she thought Lila was my girlfriend…” Peter’s voice trailed off as Betty approached their table. She sat down next to Ned and kissed his cheek. 

“What are we talking about?” Betty asked, a smile on her face. 

“Whether or not MJ likes Peter,” Ned revealed and Peter looked at Ned like he had betrayed him. “Dude, it’s obvious to everyone you like her.” Peter looked at Betty, who just nodded.

“Everyone?” They both nodded and Peter let his head drop into his hands. 

“But I totally think she likes you back.” Peter lifted his head up at that and looked at the smaller blonde. “Veronica was talking in the locker room the other day about how she thought you were kind of cute and if looks could kill, I think MJ would’ve murdered her.” A smile crossed Peter’s face. 

“Ah, young love.” Ned mused with a smirk. “Isn’t it cute, honey?”

“Remember when we were like that?” Betty asked. 

“You guys are weird.” Peter groaned and Ned chuckled. “Okay, so MJ probably likes me. But I can’t just, like, ask her out. It’s gotta be special.”

“Like candy gram special.” Betty said, smiling at Ned. 

“Yeah.” Peter agreed, trying to ignore how disgustingly cute his best friend and Betty were being. “I gotta think of something special and meaningful.”

“You could do it on the trip.” Ned suggested. “I mean, Europe is very romantic.” Peter nodded, starting to think of ideas. If he was going to tell MJ he liked her and wanted to go on a date with her, it was going to have to be something monumental, something that showed that he really knew her. 

So, Peter opened his notebook and started jotting ideas down.

* * *

Peter sighed as he stood onstage at the Community Center. Happy had picked him up from school, but was weirdly quiet. His uncle wasn’t the most talkative guy, but there was a difference between him grumbling about traffic and him looking conspiratorially at Peter through the rearview mirror. Peter didn’t have time to think about it because he had to put the Iron Spider suit on in the car (which was pretty easy with nanotechnology, prompting Peter to wonder why his dad hadn’t designed a nanotech suit for him from the start).

And then they were at the Community Center. May had briefly explained what was going on and then Happy had disappeared, realizing he had left the giant check in the car. Peter just kind of listened and did as he was told. His mind was in a million places. Between coming up with ideas to ask MJ out, worrying about his dad, the trip, and missing his family, he wasn’t the most focused at the moment. 

“And big thanks to our very own Spider-Man!” Peter focused back in on what was happening as May got his attention. She nodded towards the microphone and Peter approached, doing his best to seem like a confident adult and not a teenager with far too much on his mind.

“Thank you everyone for your generous donations for the hospital.” Peter said, trying to make his voice sound deep. “The borough of Queens appreciates your generosity.” He awkwardly gave a thumbs up as flashes went off from cameras. Peter was grateful for the suit, lessening the sharpness of the lights.

“Spider-Man!” A reporter shouted, getting his attention. “Are you working with the Avengers now? Are you in charge of the Avengers?”

“Uh no, I’m not.” Peter answered awkwardly, feeling a weird feeling clawing up his chest. 

“Any news on Iron Man?” Another reporter called out. “Are you taking over for Iron Man?” Peter felt himself clam up at the mention of his dad. Yes, his dad was retired. But just the mention of his dad, who Peter hadn’t seen in what felt like too long and was struggling with his health, made him feel like he couldn’t breathe. 

“T-Thank you for your time.” Peter said, trying to stay calm. “Thank you.” And then he quickly exited the stage. Peter moved until he found a quiet corner, letting the suit fold away until he was in his normal clothes. Even still, he felt like he was struggling to catch his breath. 

Why was everything so difficult? They had saved the universe. Everything was supposed to be okay. Instead, Peter could barely focus on one task. He was worried about his dad. He was worried about how to properly ask out MJ. He was worried that going to Europe would mean he would miss more important moments with his family.

He was worried and it was making it hard for him to focus on anything but his mounting worry. 

Peter sucked in a long breath and let his eyes close. Maybe he needed a break. Maybe he just needed to be a teenager, like his dad had said. Maybe this trip was the perfect opportunity to just be Peter Stark. 

He nodded to himself, knowing that was the right decision. New York would be okay without Spider-Man for two weeks and Europe wouldn’t need him. There were other people who could save the day. Peter deserved a break. 

And that’s exactly what he was going to have.


	15. A Phone Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What?”
> 
> “Nick Fury wants to talk to you.”
> 
> “And he called you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You ever just have too many ideas floating around in your brain? That's me right now. So thank you for your patience.

“Peter?” May found him a few minutes later, still leaning against the wall. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just needed some air.” May smiled and pulled him into a hug. “I think that went great for the most part.”

“I think we both were a little stiff up there.” May teased and Peter chuckled. “Guess neither of us have your dad’s ease in front of cameras.”

“You’d think he would’ve taught me that.” May laughed at that and Peter felt himself smile. It was then that Happy came stumbling in, dragging the oversized check with him.

“Found it!” May chuckled as he passed the check. “I, uh, like your dress, May.”

“Thanks.” She smiled and Peter fought down the need to roll his eyes. Happy just smiled, which only grew when May sweetly returned it before taking the check to the waiting hospital.

“You flirting with May is so painful.” Peter finally spoke up and Happy gaped at him. “What even are you two?”

“Sometimes, you’re too much like Tony and it drives me crazy.” Happy grumbled.

“Well it’s either that or you tell me why you’ve been acting weird since you picked me up from school.” Peter replied, giving his uncle a pointed look. Happy sighed and glanced down at his phone. “What?”

“Nick Fury wants to talk to you.”

“And he called you?”

“Well your dad is...busy and Fury figured if he tried to contact you through Rhodey, then he’d be shut down real quick.” Peter knew that was true. Rhodey had been more than happy when Peter decided he just wanted to stick to keeping New York safe, letting Nat and whoever was on her new team take care of the bigger issues.

“Why does he want to talk to me?” Peter asked. Before Happy could answer, Peter felt his phone buzz. He pulled it out of his pocket and saw the number was listed as restricted.

“That’s him.”

“I don’t want to talk to Nick Fury.” The phone continued to buzz in his hand. Peter just wanted a break from being a superhero, not more responsibility. Not to mention if anyone else knew he was talking to the former director of S.H.I.E.L.D., they would stop him immediately.

“Kid, you gotta answer the phone.” Peter just stared at his phone before hitting the ignore button. “Peter!”

“He should know better!” Peter argued back. “My dad would lose his mind if he knew this was going on.”

“Yeah, but now Fury’s going to bother me.”

“Well, sic Nat on him.” Peter countered. “Besides, whatever he wants, Nat or Wanda or Sam or literally anyone else besides me can handle it.” Happy huffed out a sigh. Peter knew he was right, but he had a sinking suspicion that this wasn’t the last he would hear about this. “Look, can we just go to the Tower now?”

“Fine, let’s say goodbye to May and go.”

“Just don’t flirt with her in front of me.”

“You’re a pain in my ass, you know that?” And Peter just chuckled as they went looking for May.

* * *

Peter sighed as the elevator reached the penthouse of the Tower. He was tired, but needed to pack. Peter knew that the packing could probably wait a few days, but it was nice to be home. 

As he stepped out of the elevator, Peter heard something that made his ears perk up. He smiled upon hearing a familiar giggle.

“Petey!” As he rounded the corner, Morgan nearly bowled him over, hugging his leg. Peter smiled and scooped her up before hugging her tightly, pressing a kiss to her cheek. 

“What are you doing here, little miss?”

“We wanted to surprise you.” Peter’s brow furrowed a little before turning towards the living room. 

“Hey, Bambino.” Peter grinned like a madman as he rushed to his dad. He sat down next to Tony, situating Morgan on his lap. “Nice surprise, huh?” Peter just hugged him, doing his best to not squeeze his dad too hard. Tony chuckled and kissed the side of Peter’s head. 

“What are you guys even doing here?” Peter asked. “How are you here?”

“I was given the all clear for a night away from the Compound.” Tony explained. “So, we decided to surprise you.” Peter couldn't wipe the smile off his face. “Besides, we figured you missed us.” Peter felt a lightness he hadn’t felt in a while. He had missed his parents and Morgan so much. And now here they were. It made everything else in his mind quiet down, at least for the time being.

“Yeah. I did.” And Tony just tugged Peter closer to him, pressing another kiss to the side of his head. Peter sighed, unable to voice just how happy he was in that moment.

* * *

Sometime later, the whole family was on the couch, a movie playing on the television. Morgan was fast asleep in Pepper’s lap as she gently untangled knots in her daughter’s hair. Peter was sitting in between his parents, leaning against his dad’s good side. 

Peter hadn’t stopped smiling the whole night. This was what he needed. Though his mind still felt like he had a million things running through it (asking out MJ, what Nick Fury wanted, finals, packing, the trip), all of that felt unimportant compared to spending time with his parents and sister. God, he had missed them.

“I think it’s time for someone to go to bed.” Pepper said, glancing down at Morgan. “Hopefully, she’ll go down without a story.” Pepper stood up, cradling Morgan close to her. “Night, boys.”

“Night, Mom.” Peter called with a smile. “Give Morgan a kiss goodnight for me.” Pepper smiled and nodded before leaving the room. 

“So Bambino,” Tony began, gently squeezing his son’s shoulder. “How are you, really? We didn’t get to really chat with Morgan wanting to tell you everything she’s been up to.” Peter chuckled. 

“I’m okay.” Peter assured. “I missed you guys, so this was nice.” Tony smiled and nodded. 

“Any fun updates?” Tony asked. “How’d the benefit go?” Peter thought about the phone call from Nick Fury that he ignored. Should he tell his dad about it, if only to get Fury to back off? 

“It was fine.” Peter replied, deciding against it. His dad’s health wasn’t great and Peter didn’t want to add more stress on him. He figured if Fury called him again, he’d just let Nat know. She could get her former boss to back off, right? “There is something I need to ask you though.”

“Oh?” Peter nodded, feeling a little embarrassed. 

“You know how I have that credit card that you said is just for emergencies?”

“Which other than one time at Delmar’s, you’ve never used?” Peter smiled sheepishly and Tony chuckled. “Yes, what about it?”

“I was hoping I could use it to buy something in Venice.” Peter requested.

“Use it to buy all the souvenirs you like.” Tony grinned, patting Peter’s shoulder. “I bet Morgan would love one of those Carnival masks.” Peter sighed and Tony raised an eyebrow.

“That’s not exactly what I meant.” He looked down at his hands, feeling heat creep up his neck. “You see, I came up with this plan and it involves getting a very specific item in Venice.”

“Does this plan involve impressing a girl?” Tony asked and Peter’s ears went red. “And say, a specific girl, with brown curly hair?” Peter just nodded and Tony smiled. “Alright well, hit me with the game plan.” 

“Okay, so MJ’s like totally obsessed with the Black Dahlia.”

“The what?” Tony raised an eyebrow at that. 

“It’s this murder that happened years ago.” Peter explained. “She’s into some really dark stuff, which some people find weird but I find oddly charming.” Tony chuckled at that. “Anyways, the first stop of the trip is Venice, where they have tons of Venetian glass. So, I was hoping to buy MJ a glass necklace of the Black Dahlia.” Tony just smiled. 

“You can definitely use the card for that, kiddo,” Tony assured, ruffling Peter’s hair. “But, there’s gotta be more to this plan right?”

“I mean, yeah.” Tony moved his hand, as if encouraging Peter to continue. “Okay, so the last stop of the trip is France. So, I figured we could go to the Eiffel Tower and I could give the necklace to her there. And tell her that I like her. And hopefully, she’ll tell me that she likes me back.” Tony just smiled and Peter looked down, his ears burning in embarrassment. “Is it awful?”

“No, kid.” Peter looked up at his father. “It’s really good. In fact, I clearly should’ve turned to you sooner when trying to woo your mom.”

“So you’re saying I shouldn’t almost die in front of MJ?” Tony wanted to make a joke, but jokes about death didn’t seem right at the moment.

“You’ll do great, kiddo.” Tony assured him. “And if you don’t come back with a girlfriend, then we’ll have a problem.” Peter huffed and Tony pulled him into a hug. “I’m so proud of you, kiddo. I know these last few months have been tough and you’re just doing so great and I’m so proud.”

“Thanks, Dad.” Tony just kissed the side of his son’s head, unable to express the sheer amount of love in his heart at the moment. His kid was being so strong and still living life. He wasn’t being dragged down by anything, including Tony. 

And for that, Tony was so damn proud.


	16. The Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What’s a win-win?” Peter felt his stomach do a few flips as MJ suddenly appeared next to him. “You almost missed the flight.”
> 
> “Traffic.” Peter said again, smiling sheepishly. “And uh, Ned and I are sitting next to each other and you’re sitting next to Betty. I thought maybe Betty and I should switch seats.” MJ tilted her head and Peter swore there was a ghost of a smile on her face. 
> 
> “I suppose that means we would be sitting together.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys I am so sorry for how long it's been. I'll be honest with you all, while I love this series and it means so much to me, the motivation to write it has been low. But I have the rest of the story plotted out and a lot of it written, so you WILL get to read the end of this story. 
> 
> If you've stuck around since the beginning or picked this up along the way or just found this series, thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. I appreciate the patience and love from all of you.

“_I can’t believe you’re going to Europe in a few hours_.” Peter was finishing up packing, throwing some last-minute items into his suitcase.

“It’s not like I haven’t been to Europe before.” Lila scoffed over the phone at that.

“_Fighting with and against the Avengers in Germany does not count_.” Lila pointed out. Peter heard her sigh and sat down on his bed where the phone was sitting.

“Have you talked to your dad?”

“_A little_.” There was a sadness to Lila’s voice. “_I only really talk to him if my mom is on the phone. They want me to come home, but I just don’t know how to deal with what I’m feeling_.”

“Your dad’s not a bad guy.” Peter stated. “The Snap just...it affected everyone differently.”

“_And I know that. But I’m scared that if he could turn into a murderous vigilante, what’s going to happen to me_?”

“There’s a difference here.” Peter started. “Your dad trained as a spy and then felt he needed to change because of a tragedy. There’s no darkness in your heart.”

“_How do you know that_?” Lila’s voice was small, almost inaudible, if Peter didn’t have super sensitive ears.

“Because before Spider-Man had a billion dollar suit, he had a Lila Barton original.” Peter heard a laugh on the other end, but there was a breathiness to it, like Lila was crying. “Lila, you kept my secret for years, even when you thought I betrayed you and your dad. You’re not going to turn out like that because it’s just not possible.”

“_You know, Nat and Wanda have been trying to tell me the same thing_.”

“And why didn’t it go through?”

“_They weren’t as convincing_.” Peter chuckled. “_Thanks, Peter. I really appreciate it. I haven’t always been a great friend, but you’ve been super nice to me during all of this_.”

“Well, you’ll pay me back someday.”

“_But not with money because you’re going to someday inherit billions_.” Peter scoffed at that and Lila laughed. “_Well, I should let you get going. Send me pictures of Europe so I can live vicariously through you_.”

“What are you going to get up to?”

“_I think I’m going to go shoot some arrows_.” Peter smiled at that. “_Later, Stark_.”

“Later, Barton.” Peter ended the call and smiled a little. He was glad Lila was doing better. She deserved just as much. There was a knock at the door and May poked her head in. 

“Happy’s here.” Peter nodded and stood up. May stepped into the room and hugged him. “Have the best time, okay? And thanks for keeping me company the last few weeks.”

“Thanks for having me.” Peter replied, hugging her back. “And for not poisoning me.” May swatted at his shoulder and Peter laughed. 

“Get out of here already,” She said with a smile. “And have fun!” Peter nodded and grabbed his backpack and suitcase. 

Then, with a smile, he headed out.

* * *

Peter jogged through the airport, looking for his classmates. When he spotted Ned and Betty, he rushed over to them. 

“Dude!” Ned greeted, smiling. “We thought you were going to miss the flight!”

“Traffic.” Peter said with a sigh. 

“I’m going to go get snacks for the plane,” Betty said. “M&Ms, Neddybear?” Ned nodded and she kissed his cheek. “Be back in a second.”

“Where are you sitting?” Peter asked, showing Ned his ticket.

“Next to you, apparently.” Ned answered, reading his ticket. “Betty’s next to MJ.” Peter’s eyes widened at that. “What?”

“She and I should switch seats.” Ned furrowed his brows at that. “You should sit next to your girlfriend on the flight. And then I would get to sit next to MJ. Come on, it’s a win-win!”

“What’s a win-win?” Peter felt his stomach do a few flips as MJ suddenly appeared next to him. “You almost missed the flight.”

“Traffic.” Peter said again, smiling sheepishly. “And uh, Ned and I are sitting next to each other and you’re sitting next to Betty. I thought maybe Betty and I should switch seats.” MJ tilted her head and Peter swore there was a ghost of a smile on her face. 

“I suppose that means we would be sitting together.” Peter just nodded, trying not to look absolutely dopey in front of her. God, he liked her so much. Peter was about to speak up when Betty came back with a _ Hudson News _ bag. 

“I got the peanut butter ones,” Betty said as she approached. “Since you like them.”

“Thanks, babe.” Peter looked at Ned, imploring his best friend to say something. But Ned was staring at Betty like she hung the moon (he always did that, which was sweet, but not at this current moment). 

But then MJ spoke up. 

“So Betty,” MJ began. “I noticed that the boys are sitting together and we’re sitting together.”

“Oh.” Betty replied.

“I bet it would be nice if you could sit with Ned on the flight.” MJ continued. Betty smiled at that. Peter watched MJ, feeling his heart beat a little faster. “And I bet, Peter would switch seats with you.”

“Would you?” Betty asked, turning towards Peter. “I know you and Ned are best friends and probably want to sit together but I’m a little nervous and I’d love to be able to hold Ned’s hand.”

“We can totally switch.” Peter nodded. “Ned and I are rooming together on the trip. We can survive without sitting next to each other on the flight.”

“Yay!” Betty cheered and Ned smiled. “Come on, Neddybear. We’re boarding any minute.” She tugged Ned’s hand and he followed, sending a smile Peter and MJ’s way.

“So,” Peter said, turning towards MJ. “I guess we’re sitting together.”

“I guess so,” MJ returned, giving Peter a tight-lipped smile. Peter couldn’t help but smile and he was sure he saw MJ blush. 

“We could watch a movie.” Peter offered. 

“Sure.” He felt like his lips were going to fall off his face from smiling so hard. “We should get ready to board.” Peter nodded, but then felt his cell phone vibrating.

“Just a second.” She nodded and walked towards the rest of the group. When Peter saw it was his dad, he smiled. “Hey, Dad.”

“_Hey, Bambino. I know you’re about to board, but I just wanted to call you real quick_.”

“It’s cool, Dad,” Peter assured. “I’m glad you called. Also, my plan’s already starting.” Tony chuckled. “I’m sitting next to MJ on the plane.”

“_Sounds great, kiddo_.” He could hear the fondness in his dad’s voice. “_I hope you have an amazing time. Seriously, have as many adventures as possible. And don’t worry too much about me, your mom, or Morgan. We’ll be okay. _”

“Promise?” 

“_Promise_.” Peter smiled. He was excited for the trip and for the chance to ask MJ out. But he was going to miss his family and hearing that they were going to be okay alleviated that feeling a bit. “_Now, go get on that plane. And text me when you land_.”

“Love you, Dad.”

“_Love you too, Peter_.” Peter smiled as he ended the call. Then he made his way over to his friends, ready to head out on their European adventure.

* * *

Peter stepped out of the small shop in Venice, a smile on his face. Venice was truly beautiful. His dad had told him that he had once wanted to spend his birthday in Venice with Pepper. Seeing the city, Peter couldn’t blame him. 

The trip was already going great. Getting to sit next to MJ on the plane had been the best stroke of luck. They had talked about school and Academic Decathlon and the books MJ was reading. Then, they had watched a movie (a documentary because MJ didn’t watch much other than that). Peter had fallen asleep at one point and woken up to see that their heads were almost touching. He had been glad that MJ was asleep at the time because he was sure he flushed from head to toe before trying to fall back to sleep. 

And now he had the necklace for MJ. It was good that France was the next stop because he was positively giddy about the idea of asking MJ out. 

He spotted her standing outside of a gelato shop with Betty and smiled, watching her for a moment. Peter had had a crush on three people in his life. There had been Rebecca, his middle school crush, Liz, and now MJ. But MJ was different from the other two. She marched to the beat of her own drum. She was brash and confident, but in a quiet way. She didn’t take crap from anyone and was smarter than most people Peter knew (and he knew three certified geniuses). 

He liked her so much it hurt sometimes. And after the plane ride, Peter was positive MJ liked him back. So now, he just had to ask her out, the right way. He smiled to himself, tucking the gift bag into his backpack, before turning to walk over to her. 

“You’re not an easy guy to get in touch with.” His path was cut off by someone stepping in front of him. Peter gulped a little, realizing that Nick Fury was standing in front of him. The same Nick Fury who’s call he had dodged. Peter looked around, wondering how easily he could get away. But then the steely eyes of Maria Hill caught him. He remembered when she worked for Stark Industries briefly and how she was not someone to mess with. He sighed and glanced back at Fury. 

“I’m on vacation, you know.” Peter huffed. “And my dad would be pissed if he knew you were bugging me.”

“What your dad won’t know won’t hurt him.” Fury assured. “Let’s go for a walk, Spider-Man.” Peter huffed again but followed Fury. 

He just hoped whatever Fury wanted, he could handle quickly and get back to his vacation.

* * *

Peter stood with his arms crossed as he stared at Fury and Maria. Fury had brought him to some top-secret SHIELD base because apparently, SHIELD had top-secret bases in every major European city. Or at least that was what Maria had said as Fury had brought them there. 

“Is there an actual reason you brought me here?” Peter asked. “Because I’m on a school vacation and eventually, my teachers are going to wonder where I went.” 

“You complain like your father.” Fury said with an eye roll. He glanced at Maria. “Let’s begin so the kid can stop whining.”

“I’m right here, you know,” Peter huffed. “And maybe I’d be less ‘whiny’ as you said if you hadn’t bugged me on my vacation.” Fury gave him a look and Peter rolled his eyes.

“We’ve been trying to crack a very specific SHIELD file for years,” Fury began. “We believe it will lead us to a project that was started years ago but never officially finished. A project concerning intelligence that, if it fell into the wrong hands, would be problematic.” 

“And I’m here because…”

“We can’t crack it.” Maria concluded, holding a file in her hand. “Our best codebreakers have no idea what any of it means.” Peter furrowed his eyebrows at that. What did they need him for? Sure, he was smart (he was his father’s son after all), but he was sure that SHIELD, even in their dilapidated state, still had the brightest minds in the world. 

“And you want me to, what, look at it?” Peter asked. “Why me? Why not your agents or Princess Shuri or even my dad?”

“Because we think you’re the only one who could figure out this agent's specific code.” Fury answered before nodding to Maria. She handed Peter the file, who just raised an eyebrow. He was still very confused as to what was going on. 

Everything clicked when he opened the file. 

The first thing he saw was a picture of a woman in a lab coat. She had long brown hair and a look of intense concentration on her face. Even though Peter had never met her, he had seen her picture enough times in May’s apartment. 

It was Mary Parker. His biological mother.

“You think I can crack her code?” Peter asked. “Because what, I’m her son?” Fury nodded, but Peter noticed a look of hesitation on Maria’s face. He shook his head and pushed the file away. “My birth mom and I only have biology in common. She’s a stranger to me.” He stood up. “She wanted nothing to do with me before she died. And I don’t want anything to do with her now.”

“Listen kid, you’re an Avenger-” Fury started and Peter cut him off.

“And is this an Avengers-level threat?” Peter asked. “Or is this just a puzzle you want solved? Because unless it's a world-threatening problem, I don’t need to be a part of it.” Fury glared at Peter and was about to say something, when Maria stopped him.

“Just take a look at the files.” Maria insisted. Peter huffed but picked up the files. Fury grumbled to himself as Peter started looking through them. 

“It’s all a bunch of numbers.” Peter said. “Does SHIELD have some sort of code for their projects? Also, was she a SHIELD agent?”

“She was.” Fury nodded. “Mary Fitzpatrick was one of our best and brightest agents. She wasn’t much for field work, but she was good with tech and security and worked as a liaison to the CIA. That’s how she met Richard Parker.”

“Ben’s brother.” Peter nodded. He scanned over the pages. Each page had a different set of numbers. “There’s no pattern to these numbers. It’s like they’re random. And why the decimals?”

“Do you always talk when you work?” Fury asked.

“Tony does it too.” Maria noted. “Usually, there’s an AI responding to it.” Peter gave her a look. “I did work for your dad’s company for some time.” Peter looked back to the paper, studying the numbers. They felt random, but something about the numbers felt familiar. 

Then it clicked. 

“It’s longitude and latitude.” Peter realized, looking up at them. Both Fury and Maria looked confused. “The numbers, they’re all pairs. And each pair is a two digit number, some negative and some positive, with six numbers after the decimal point. It’s longitude and latitude. These numbers represent places.” Fury glanced at Maria, who had an impressed look on her face. 

“Maybe you didn’t know Mary, but it seems you know how she thinks.” Peter frowned at that. Sure, he had figured it out, but that didn’t mean he wanted to keep talking about Mary. In fact, he wanted out of all of this as soon as possible.

“Can I go now?” Peter asked. “I cracked your mystery code after you interrupted my vacation. So, do I need an escort out of your super secret base, or can I just leave?” Fury leveled him with a look, but Peter just held his ground. 

“Agent Hill, could you escort the cantankerous superhero out of here?”

“On it.” Peter just got up, pushing the files away as he did. He started walking out the way he came, knowing Maria was following him, but not noticing that she had grabbed the files. He didn’t really care. Peter just wanted to stop talking about Mary and her weird code and just go back to his vacation and trying to ask out MJ. 

He wanted to focus on being a regular teenager. Not being Spider-Man and definitely not whatever puzzle Mary had left behind.


	17. The Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You know both of my parents would hate this.” Peter was walking through the streets of Venice, Maria next to him. He still couldn’t believe that Fury not only bugged him on his vacation, but bugged him with information about Mary Parker and some mystery she left behind. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me? Updating this story twice in a week after months of silence? *insert shocked Pikachu face here*
> 
> But thank you guys for the lovely reviews! Definitely made me smile.

“You know both of my parents would hate this.” Peter was walking through the streets of Venice, Maria next to him. He still couldn’t believe that Fury not only bugged him on his vacation, but bugged him with information about Mary Parker and some mystery she left behind. 

“What your dad and Pepper don’t know won’t hurt them.” Maria reiterated. Peter stopped and turned to face Maria. He had seen her enough times because she worked for Stark Industries for a while. When his parents had had their vow renewal, Maria was one of the first people to have been invited.

“I call her ‘Mom’.” Peter pointedly stated. “Maybe Fury doesn’t know that, but you do. I’ve been calling her ‘Mom’ since she got engaged to my dad. Pepper’s my mother, not Mary Parker.”

“This is bigger than just biology.” Peter was about to respond when he heard someone call his name. He spun around, seeing MJ approach him. He glanced back, but Maria was already gone. 

“Hey,” MJ greeted, approaching him. “Where’d you disappear to?”

“Oh, uh...” Peter stuttered, gulping a little as he felt his heart race. “I, um, got lost.” MJ gave him a look. “Yeah, I was looking for a place to get gelato and I got caught in like a maze of alleyways. This city is super confusing.”

“Dork.” MJ said with a smirk and Peter just chuckled. They started walking, knowing they had to eventually meet back up with their class. Peter glanced over at her, a small smile on his face. He looked away quickly when MJ started to look at him, his ears turning red.

“So,” Peter spoke, breaking the silence as he adjusted his backpack. “Where are you most excited to go on the trip?” MJ was about to answer as the Ponte Rialto came into view, when all of a sudden, a scream ripped through the crowd. Peter spun towards the noise as people ran past him. His eyes went wide at the sight before him.

There was what looked like an armored man with a cape, floating above the bridge. Peter wasn’t actually sure if the person was a man or not, seeing as his face was covered by what looked like a clouded fishbowl. Their hands glowed green as the water seemed to rise towards the bridge. 

“Betty, come on!” Peter turned back around, hearing Ned’s voice coming towards him. He saw MJ watching him, both concern and observation sparkling in her eyes. But it disappeared when Betty grabbed her arm, tugging her away from the scene. 

“I have to do something.” Peter muttered, grabbing Ned’s arms. He pulled his backpack off and handed it to Ned. “Make sure you, Betty, and MJ get to safety, okay?”

“You said you left your suit!”

“I’ll improvise! Go!” Ned nodded and ran after the girls. Peter turned back towards the water. He could see this mysterious figure was somehow moving the water and couldn’t help but wonder if they were trained in the same mystical arts as Dr. Strange as he ran towards the bridge. The place had been cleared out, which was lucky for Peter, since he didn’t have his suit. 

May, Ned, and even Happy had asked if he was going to bring his suit with him. Peter had said no because he wanted a vacation. Of course, now he was regretting that as he ran towards this floating being sending waves towards all sides of the canals. 

“Hey, mystery dude!” Peter shouted, catching the floating being’s attention. “Why not pick on someone your own size?!” 

He was rewarded with a wave knocking him into a nearby wall.

“Well, that didn’t go well.” Peter sputtered, feeling the cold seeping through his clothes. He looked around, trying to find the mysterious person, but they were gone and the water was calm again. Peter groaned, pulling himself up. He couldn’t help but wonder if this mysterious being and Mary’s code were at all related. It was too much of a coincidence for both to happen on the same day.

Currently though, he was soaking wet and didn’t want this to be his problem. So, with a sigh, Peter shook some excess water off him and headed towards the hotel.

* * *

“That was so scary!” Peter walked into the small common area of the hotel. He had been able to sneak back in without anyone seeing him, which was good since they would probably have some questions about why Peter was just coming back then and why he was soaking wet. He had gotten in a quick shower and then changed.

“Man, it’s too bad Spider-Man wasn’t there.” Flash was holding court, sitting in the center of a group of Peter’s classmates, watching a TV screen. He could see Betty and Ned sitting nearby, watching the screen as well. “He would’ve taken care of that creep.”

“Who knew Flash was such a Spidey stan?” Peter’s classmate Zach snorted, earning a chuckle from the rest of the group. 

“So what?” Flash shrugged. “He keeps the neighborhood safe and fought with the Avengers. He’s a hero and I bet he’s a pretty cool dude.” He then noticed Peter and smirked. “‘Sup, dickwad.” Everyone glanced at Peter, most people giving him a nod or wave. 

“Where’d you disappear to?” Peter turned and saw MJ sitting by herself, a book in her lap. “One minute you were with us and then the next…”

“Um…” Peter rubbed the back of his neck, trying to come up with a good enough lie for why he didn’t go with them when everyone started running. “I um, got lost again. Took a wrong turn and couldn’t find my way back for a while.” MJ just nodded, but was watching him. She looked like she was about to say something else, when Peter felt his phone buzzing. He glanced at the caller ID. “Oh sorry, it’s my dad.” He quickly stepped away, glad for the excuse to get out of that conversation. “Hey, Dad.”

“_Everything alright_? _ Rhodey said there were some fishy things happening in Venice_. _ Something about a floating guy and waves_?” Peter glanced over at the TV screen. The news was showing footage of the mysterious guy over and over again. Supposedly, he had been dubbed “Mysterio”.

“Yeah, Dad, I’m fine.” Peter assured. “I wasn’t even near it.” He heard his dad sigh out of relief.

“_Okay, but I might have Nat look into it_.”

“Dad, it looks like nothing.” Peter insisted. “I mean, the news here just says he floated around and splashed some water.” Peter tried to not remember the giant wave that had sent him crashing into a wall. “Don’t worry about it.”

“_I’m just worried, kid_.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry.” He heard his dad sigh again. “You’re supposed to be taking it easy, remember?”

“_You sound like your mother _ .” Peter frowned. He didn’t want to think about her, but Mary had been on his mind all day. Peter knew nothing about his biological mother. He had never wanted to know anything about her. But now, she was on his mind. “_You’re right, though. You're a pretty smart kid. But I mean, who’s surprised? I am a genius after all.” _ Peter let out a small sigh. "_You okay, Peter? _”

“Yeah,” Peter said, clearing his throat. “I mean, genius is hereditary. From both sides.”

“_I suppose. _”

“Was… May’s sister-in-law smart?”

“_You mean Mary_?” Peter tried not to suck in a breath at the mention of his biological mother. Again, she didn’t mean anything to him. And yet, now that she was on his mind, he couldn’t help but want to ask some questions. “_I mean, from what I remember, she had a cushy gig with the CIA. It’s how she met Ben’s brother. _ ” Peter just nodded, even though Tony couldn’t see him. "_Kid, what brought this on? You’ve never asked about her before _.”

“I guess just being far from home gets you thinking.” It wasn’t a false statement. Peter certainly was thinking about his family, although he also was thinking about Mary because of Fury’s stupid file.

“_You’re allowed to miss us, kid. I miss you too_.” Peter smiled at that.

“Thanks, Dad.” He couldn’t see it, but Peter had a good feeling his dad was smiling on the other end of the call. “I should probably get going. Tell everyone I said hi and I miss them.”

“_Will do, Bambino. Love you_.”

“Love you too, Dad.” And then he ended the call. Peter sighed, pocketing his phone. He glanced back at the TV as the same clip of Mysterio played once more. Maria had said that the file and Mary’s code was about more than just biology. A part of him wondered if this Mysterio guy had something to do with that. But a part of him also just wanted to be a teenager and enjoy his vacation and maybe even ask MJ to be his girlfriend. 

So as much as he had questions (about Mary, about the code, about Mysterio), he also just didn’t want it to be his problem.

* * *

“Dude, what do you mean you’re not going to deal with Mysterio?” Peter and Ned were heading back up to their room. After a fun dinner in Venice (Peter had several photos of him, Ned, Betty, and MJ trying squid ink risotto, which was surprisingly delicious) and a dessert of gelato, Peter was looking forward to getting some rest. Mr. Harrington and Mr. Dell had a quick meeting with everyone about wake up times and going to their next destination in the morning before sending them off to bed.

Of course, as soon as everyone had dispersed, Ned started asking Peter questions. 

“Ned, I didn’t even bring my suit.”

“Like today or on the trip at all?”

“At all.”

“Peter!” Peter gave his best friend a look and Ned huffed. “That Mysterio guy looks dangerous. Like, bad guy trying to take over the world, dangerous.”

“And there are a ton of other people who can deal with that problem,” Peter stated. “It’s not like there aren’t other superheroes in the world.” They walked into their room.

“Yeah but you’re here,” Ned pointed out, sitting down on his bed. “And you’re an Avenger.” Peter huffed. 

“I just want a normal vacation,” Peter said, locking the door. “Where I get to have fun and ask MJ out. Is that so wrong of me?” He turned around and raised an eyebrow when he saw Ned passed out on his bed. “Ned?”

“He’ll be fine.” Peter turned sharply, hearing another voice. He fought back an annoyed groan when he saw Fury sitting in the chair in the room, a tranquilizer gun in his hand. “Tranquilizer dart will keep him out for…” Fury checked his watch. “A few hours.”

“I already said I wanted nothing to do with this.” Peter reminded him. “Why can’t you leave me alone?”

“Because your friend has a point,” Fury replied, pocketing the gun. “You’re here, in the same country as a new bad guy.”

“So you guys at SHIELD, the world’s most elite spy organization, know nothing about Mysterio?” Fury raised an eyebrow. “That’s what the news is calling him.”

“I lost five years, Spider-Man,” Fury explained, getting up. “You did too. So you know how hard it can be to catch up on all that you missed.”

“So you have no idea who this guy is?” Peter asked. 

“Who he is isn’t the problem.” Fury said and Peter raised an eyebrow at that. He figured the director of a spy organization would want to know who Mysterio was. “What we’re worried about is what he wants.” Peter then noticed the file from earlier on his bed. “Agent Fitzpatrick worked on many important intelligence projects with some of the best and brightest minds in SHIELD and the CIA. She was working on something big for years before her untimely demise.”

“Okay but you cracked her code, what do you still need me for?”

“Look, I don’t like that Tony Stark’s genius spawn took one look at a file our best codebreakers were struggling with and cracked it,” Fury said, getting up. “But you did. Those numbers meant something. Those places mean something. And lord knows what other codes and tricks Agent Fitzpatrick put in place before we find what we’re looking for. So the fact of the matter is, we need you, Spider-Man.”

“This isn’t an Avengers-level threat.”

“With Mysterio, it is now,” Fury pointed out. Peter huffed. 

“I don’t have my suit.”

“We can work something out.” Peter sighed as he sat down on his bed. He glanced at the file and then back at Fury. 

“I don’t really have a choice here, do I?”

“Nope,” Fury agreed, walking over to the door. He unlocked it before glancing back at Peter. “See you in the morning, Spider-Man.” Peter watched him go, not liking how that sounded like.

* * *

“You sure you’re okay?” Peter and Ned were making their way downstairs with their bags. Peter had spent most of the night studying the file, trying to understand the code and why Mary had picked such specific longitudes and latitudes. He also had wanted to make sure Ned was okay, since Fury had shot him with a tranquilizer dart. But Ned had slept peacefully through the night, while Peter tossed and turned, thinking about codes and Mary Fitzpatrick-Parker.

“Dude, I got tranq’d by Nick Fury!” Ned gushed. “It’s like the coolest thing that’s ever happened to me!”

“I thought me being Spider-Man was the coolest thing to happen to you.”

“That’s old news.” Peter rolled his eyes at his best friend's comment. Ned stopped suddenly as they exited the hotel and Peter nearly ran into him. “Whoa.” Peter followed his gaze. Yesterday, they had taken a slightly beat-up cab to their slightly dilapidated hotel (it was pretty dilapidated, but Peter was trying to not let his rich kid show). Now, they were staring at a fancy coach bus.

“Neddybear! Peter!” Betty came running over to them, MJ a step behind her. “Mr. Harrington said our tour bus and all our accommodations got a huge upgrade!”

“That’s so cool!” Peter just gulped because he was pretty sure travel plans and accommodations didn’t just get upgraded out of nowhere. 

“At least we get a nice ride to Paris.” Peter said, trying to smile weakly. 

“Oh, we’re going to Paris last,” Betty stated. Peter frowned. “We’re going to Rome next! Isn’t that exciting?” Peter tried not to frown. Since he had spent most of the night studying the file Fury had left, he knew Rome was the location of at least two of Mary’s coordinates. “Ned, come on! I want to get a good seat.” Ned followed after Betty as they ran to the bus. Peter just gulped. He knew Fury wanted his help, but rearranging his trip? Wasn’t that a little much?

“Peter?” He had completely forgotten that MJ was still there. “You good?”

“Oh uh, yeah.” He offered MJ a weak smile and she raised an eyebrow. “I was just really excited to go to Paris next.”

“We’ll get there eventually.” Then, MJ headed towards the bus. Peter just sighed. He knew that was likely, but had no idea what he was really in for, especially now that Nick Fury had essentially hijacked his vacation. But, with Mary’s code and Mysterio, he knew he didn’t have any other choice but to help. 

So, squaring his shoulders, Peter headed towards the bus, dreading how much of his vacation was now lost to this mission.


	18. Rome- Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter sighed as he walked through the Roman Colosseum. It was pretty cool, if he could actually focus on that. But he couldn’t. Not with his new suit in his backpack and Fury squawking in his ear. 

Peter sighed as he walked through the Roman Colosseum. It was pretty cool, if he could actually focus on that. But he couldn’t. Not with his new suit in his backpack and Fury squawking in his ear. 

It turned out their bus driver was a SHIELD agent and while everyone else had been settling in at their swanky hotel in Rome, Peter was dragged away to get his new suit made. He had made sure it looked nothing like any of his previous suits, asking for a more stealth, all-black look. Peter was sure his classmates would be suspicious if Queens’ favorite vigilante ended up in the same city they were (MJ already looked at him with overly observant eyes and he had no doubt she’d figure it out far too quickly if Spider-Man showed up where she was). Peter also wanted something different because he had told his dad he was fine and if his dad thought the opposite, he was sure Tony would come rushing to his aid. His dad needed to rest and recover, not worry about him. 

Fury had also gone over a plan with Peter to have him investigate each place listed in Mary’s code to find out any other important details about where the top-secret intelligence project was. Hence, the comms in his ear and Fury asking if he had found anything yet. 

“_Spider-Man, I said report_.” Peter ducked behind a pillar with a huff. 

“I am with my class, you know.”

“_You’re also on a mission_.” Peter rolled his eyes. “_So, report_.”

“Nothing yet.” Peter answered. He then began walking again, trying to catch up with his classmates.

“Get lost again?” Peter nearly leapt into the air when MJ suddenly appeared next to him. 

“Oh uh…”

“I’m just kidding,” MJ said, and she offered an awkward smile to prove her point. Peter just chuckled awkwardly and nodded.

“This place is kind of cool, right?” Peter asked. “I mean, it was the home of gladiator battles and other public spectacles.”

“I still don’t get the concept of fighting for sport,” MJ replied. “There’s no mystery or madness behind it. It’s just overly aggressive men and occasionally women hitting each other.” 

“That’s fair.” They lapsed into silence as they caught up to the rest of the class. The necklace Peter had bought for MJ was safely tucked into his luggage at the hotel. He still wanted to ask her out in Paris, but with Fury squawking in his ear, he was worried he wouldn’t get the chance. 

Maybe he just needed to do it now. Maybe he needed to just forget the mission and those stupid files in his backpack and just tell MJ that he liked her. He was pretty sure she felt the same. And MJ didn’t need a huge romantic gesture. Sure, everyone deserved romantic gestures, but with this vacation so up in the air, maybe it was better to save the necklace for another time and just tell her that he liked her. 

He was about to say something when they heard a scream. 

“Mysterio!” Peter looked towards the center of the Colosseum. Sure enough, Mysterio was flying above the rubble, hands glowing. Peter could see some of the rocks starting to rumble as people ran towards the exit. 

“_Spider-Man, report_!”

“We’ve got a huge problem.” He turned and saw his classmates running off. He wasn’t sure where MJ had gone, but he had to hope that she got to safety. He ducked behind a pillar, glad his new suit was simply under his clothes. Once he had hid his backpack and pulled the mask on, he ducked back around. 

He shot a web and swung towards Mysterio. 

“Got something against Italy?” Peter shouted as he swung towards the bad guy. A rock came flying towards him and Peter shot another web to get out of the way. He landed and looked towards Mysterio. He had landed behind him and yet Mysterio didn’t turn around. He was just floating there. 

“Strange,” Peter muttered. He shot another web towards Mysterio, ready to sneak up on him. 

Instead, a rock slammed into him, sending him crashing to the ground. 

“What the hell?” Peter groaned, his head aching from the hit. He looked up, ready to fight Mysterio. But instead, he saw that he was alone. “What?”

“_Spider-Man _ , _ what the hell is going on in there_?”

“Mysterio showed up,” Peter said, looking around. The Colosseum was completely empty, no sign of Mysterio. “But he’s gone now.”

“_And the code?_”

“There’s nothing but history here.” He sighed and swung back towards where his backpack was hidden.

“_Alright, pack it Spider-Man_,” Fury said. “_We’ll debrief later_.” Peter sighed before taking the comm out of his ear. The last thing he wanted to do was deal with this, any of this. But with Mysterio showing up at one of the locations, it was clear this was serious. He still didn’t know what the bad guys deal was or what he wanted, but he was a problem. 

Specifically, it seemed like he was Peter’s problem.

* * *

Peter sat in his hotel room, fidgeting with the button-up he had on. Even after a stressful day at the Colosseum, the class was still going out for an authentic Roman dinner before going to the Trevi Fountain. As much as Peter wanted to enjoy both of those things, he couldn’t. The Trevi Fountain was one of the locations, according to Mary’s weird code. 

Peter knew nothing about Mary. He was sure he could ask his dad more or even May. In fact, May probably knew more about Mary than his dad. But then again, he didn’t need to know what foods she liked or if she was a nice person. He needed to know what the code meant and where this top-secret project was. 

He was brought out of his thoughts by his phone buzzing. He glanced at it and sighed when he saw Lila’s name. It was a text, but he needed to talk to Lila. 

So he called her. 

“_Are you paying for this long distance call_?” Peter rolled his eyes and chuckled. 

“I know my dad gave you a Stark phone when you showed up at the Compound,” Peter said. “You can take the call.”

“_I know, but I like messing with you_.” Peter scoffed and he heard Lila chuckle. “_So what’s up? Calling to admit that what’s going on in Italy is actually serious_?”

“How do you know about that?”

“_I might have eavesdropped on a conversation Nat was having with Wanda_.” Peter smirked, knowing that Lila had quite the affinity for eavesdropping on conversations. “_So what’s the deal? And who is the Mysterio guy?_”

“I don’t know,” Peter said with a sigh. “But he’s definitely bad news. He keeps showing up and him showing up at the Colosseum is not good news. But Fury either doesn’t know who he is or won’t tell me.”

“_Whoa, whoa. Rewind and repeat that name_.”

“Yeah Fury’s here,” Peter said. “He hijacked my vacation to help me crack this code and try to track down some top-secret intelligence project.”

“_He asked you, the seventeen-year-old superhero, who just wanted a vacation, instead of the litany of spies and superheroes he has access too? Why? _”

“Because the code and the project were both created by my biological mother.”

“_Damn_.”

“Yeah.” He sighed and let his head fall back on the pillows on his bed. “I’ve never talked about her to anyone, except my dad and the only time we talked about her was right after she died. I don’t know this woman. I don’t want to know this woman. And yet, here I am, cracking a code she created and going on some wild goose chase she left.”

“_That’s a lot to unpack_.”

“Tell me about it,” Peter said, running a hand down his face. “I just...I wanted a vacation and now I have to solve Mary Fitzpatrick-Parker’s code.”

“_Okay well obviously you don’t want to talk about her_,” Lila said. “_So what about this Mysterio guy? You have no information on him_?”

“Fury said who he is didn’t matter,” Peter said. “He said what he wanted was more important.”

“_Seems like the wrong way to look at it_. _ Especially for the head of a spy organization_.”

“I kind of feel like knowing something about Mysterio will help,” Peter said, sitting up with a sigh. “Like him showing up in two places while we try to find whatever Mary was working on is eerie. But Fury just keeps being cagey about him.”

“_Maybe you need to circumvent Fury_.” Peter raised an eyebrow at that. “_Maybe you need to do some digging about this Mysterio guy. Maybe you also need to know more about Mary as a SHIELD agent. Because it all feels too coincidental that he would show up as you’re dealing with all of this_.”

“I agree with all of that,” Peter said. “But how am I supposed to do that? I am in no way a hacking genius and even if I was, I either have my school trip or Fury to deal with.”

“_So you get outside help_.”

“Are you offering?” Peter asked. “I thought…” He remembered Lila’s fears of turning out like her dad. Messing around with SHIELD stuff could bring more of that up for her.

“_I couldn’t access SHIELD stuff even if I wanted to_,” Lila said. “_The Compound is monitored by FRIDAY and she’d rat me out if I tried to look up anything about SHIELD. As it is, she ratted me out for trying to access my dad’s old file. _”

“Any reason why you did that?” He heard Lila sigh.

“_I wanted to know that he did good at some point. That he wasn’t always this...I don’t even know what to call him_. _ But FRIDAY ratted me out to Nat and we had a long talk. _”

“Your dad’s a good guy Lila.”

“_I’m working on believing that again_.” Peter just nodded, wishing he could help his friend more. “_But anyways, I can’t look for the information you need. But I know someone who can_.”

“Who?”

“_Cassie Lang_.”

“Cassie?” Peter asked with a raise of an eyebrow. “How can she access SHIELD files?”

“_Well you know how her dad is dating Hope van Dyne_?”

“Yeah.”

“_And Hope’s dad worked for SHIELD for some time_.” Peter nodded, still confused. Of what he knew from his dad, Hank Pym had created the Ant-Man suit and the shrinking technology while he worked for SHIELD.

“But I thought he left SHIELD in like the 80’s.”

“_Oh he did. But he didn’t trust that SHIELD wouldn’t try to replicate his work. So he made sure to leave a little backdoor for him to get into their systems at all times. And Cassie may have discovered that backdoor access during the five years_.”

“I feel like there’s a story here.” While Peter and Lila had lost five years, Cassie had lived those five years. And he always wondered what that was like. But other than the one time she came to the lake cabin for his parents vow renewal and a group text here or there, he didn’t know Cassie and he felt wrong for asking. 

“_Oh there is. And after your vacation-slash-mission, you can ask her about it_.” Peter sighed. “_So, do you want me to clue her in and see what she can find?_”

“Sure,” Peter said. “Can’t hurt to do some research of my own.” He pulled the phone away from his ear, checking the time on his phone. He sighed when he saw the time. “I have to get going. Dinner and then more work for Fury.”

“_Good luck_. _ I’ll call you if Cassie finds anything_.”

“Thanks Lila.”

“_Anytime Stark_.” The call ended and Peter sighed. As much as he was starting to dread this mission, having some outside help wasn’t a bad thing. Especially if it was outside help that was totally loyal to him, in the form of Lila and Cassie. 

But for now, until they got back to him, he’d have to listen to Fury and attempt to salvage some tiny pieces of his vacation.

* * *

“Oh my goodness Neddybear! The Trevi Fountain!” Peter approached the landmark, trying to take in the sight while he had a free moment. His class was all ahead of him, taking pictures or tossing coins into the fountain. 

“We should make a wish!”

“I already got my wish.” Peter fought back an eye roll as he watched his best friend with Betty. He was happy for Ned, he really was. But he and Betty were being that couple on the trip and Peter was getting a little tired of it. He noticed someone move to stand next to him and noticed it was MJ. 

“Young love,” Peter said, nodding to Betty and Ned, who were taking sickeningly cute photos in front of the fountain.

“Gross.” Peter laughed at her comment and MJ smirked a little. “I’m going to go toss a coin into the fountain. My wish will be that they stop.”

“But you told me your wish,” Peter pointed out. “It can’t come true now.” 

“Guess I’ll have to wish for something else.” It was nonchalant, but it had Peter’s ears going red as an embarrassed smile crossed MJ’s face. Then, MJ quickly moved towards the fountain and Peter let out a breath. It was moments like those that made Peter sure MJ liked him, made him sure that if he asked her out, she’d say yes. 

“_Spider-Man. Get your suit on and get into position_.”

“A please would be nice,” Peter grumbled before finding a good hiding spot. Of course, it would be impossible to ask MJ out if he was constantly dealing with this stupid code. He didn’t even know what he was looking for. Sure, the numbers were locations. But what was the point of them? And why those locations? What did they mean?

Peter didn’t have time to contemplate any of that because as soon as his mask was on, he heard screaming.

He looked over where he was hiding and saw Mysterio, floating above the Trevi Fountain. Peter was a bit confused as he saw rocks floating near Mysterio, shaking like they had at the Colosseum, but he didn’t have time to think about that. 

Because there was a rock flying straight towards MJ. 

Peter could see her, looking around as everyone ran from the fountain, screaming in all different languages. Peter didn’t even think twice as he swung in, scooping up MJ. She let out a shriek. 

“It’s okay!” Peter said. “I’ve got you.” 

“I don’t like heights!”

“Well I don’t think you’re going to like being bludgeoned with a rock!” He kept swinging, MJ let out little shrieks every time he switched from one web to the other, but clinging on tightly to him. All Peter cared about was getting her someplace safe and far away from whatever Mysterio wanted.


	19. Rome- Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I was just explaining to MJ the importance of being a FOS.” Peter raised an eyebrow at that. “‘A friend of Spider-Man’.”
> 
> “Yeah, we’re not making that a thing.”

When Peter and MJ were finally faraway enough, he landed on the ground. His heart was beating way too fast to think about how tightly MJ was clinging to him or how her face was buried in his neck. 

“You’re, uh… you’re safe.” MJ let go of him, the panic still in her eyes. But as she calmed down, she took a moment to look at him. “I, uh, should get going.”

“Your suit’s different.”

“Huh?”

“Your suit’s different.” MJ repeated. “Usually, you go for red and blue, not all black, Spider-Man. Or should I say... Peter.” Peter tried to stay calm and not let his eyes nearly bug out of his head. He had always felt like MJ was onto his secret, but he never actually expected her to call him on it. Wasn’t that the point of a secret?

“I, uh, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Peter deflected, trying to keep his voice steady and deepen it as well. “I’m just Europe’s local superhero.”

“Look, you’re obviously Spider-Man,” MJ said, an annoyed look on her face. “With the webs and the swinging. And I know it’s you under that stupid mask, Peter. Honestly, I never actually considered that Spider-Man was Iron Man’s son but it kind of makes sense.” He gulped. “I mean, why else would Spider-Man have such fancy suits and always be around Iron Man or that Tower in Manhattan? So I know it’s you, Peter.” Peter gulped again, not sure what to say. “Peter.” He watched MJ, seeing an almost pleading look on her face. 

So, with a sigh, he pulled the mask off his face. 

“Fine,” He relented. “You’re right. I am Spider-Man.” MJ just nodded.

“I always thought it was weird that you just took off sometimes,” MJ mused. “And then there was Washington, when you disappeared and suddenly Spider-Man was there.” Suddenly, recognition crossed her face. “Why didn’t you tell me, months ago? When you were basically outside of my window?” Peter blushed a little, remembering that particular conversation. 

“MJ, all of this superhero stuff...” He started. “It’s a lot. It’s dangerous and scary and sometimes way above my head. And I don’t want to drag someone into it who doesn’t fully know what it’s going to be like.”

“Don’t you trust me?”

“Of course I trust you,” Peter assured her. “But I also don’t want you getting hurt because of me. I know from my dad how people get caught in the crossfire when they’re around all of that.”

“Well, I can take care of myself.” MJ insisted. Peter nodded, looking down at his feet. “But um, thank you, for wanting to look out for me.” Peter looked up at her and she offered him a smile. “Does anyone non-super related know?”

“Ned knows,” Peter answered. “Since before the Washington thing. And my friend Lila knows. But her dad is an Avenger, so I guess that doesn’t really count.”

“And now I know.” MJ added. “So I guess the question is, why are you swinging around Italy when this is supposed to be a vacation?”

“It’s a long story.” Peter sighed.

“I’ve got time.” MJ shrugged. “I mean, I know now. Might as well tell me.” He studied her and MJ offered him another smile, less forced then the last one. 

“Yeah, okay.” Peter agreed. “I just need to grab…” MJ held his backpack up and he wondered how he hadn’t noticed that before. “Oh, uh, thanks.” She nodded and they started to walk back towards the hotel. Maybe MJ knowing was for the best. Maybe it would make the rest of the trip easier. It didn’t help with the whole ‘wanting to ask her out’ bit, but he’d figure that out later.

* * *

“I just need to change out of my suit.” Peter said as he opened the door to his hotel room. A part of him felt oddly shy about talking with MJ here. But this was a private conversation and she had been in his room a bunch of times. Of course, all of those times, Ned and Betty were always there, but this was just a casual conversation. With the girl he had a crush on. Who might like him back. 

Yeah, totally casual.

“Okay.” MJ replied, looking around. She smirked at the mess of clothes from Ned’s side of the room, which was obvious by the number of hats lying around. Peter was about to say something when Ned came out of the bathroom. 

“Dude!” Ned shouted, running up to Peter. “Today has been crazy! That Mysterio dude showing up twice?! I told you you needed to deal with him!” Then, Ned noticed MJ. “Oh...I mean…”

“She knows,” Peter explained, saving his best friend from further embarrassment. “I told her.”

“Actually, I figured it out on my own.” MJ corrected, giving Peter a look. He huffed as she smirked, before grabbing some clothes and disappearing into the bathroom. When Peter came back out a few minutes later, MJ was sitting on his bed while Ned was lounging on his own. 

“I was just explaining to MJ the importance of being a FOS.” Peter raised an eyebrow at that. “‘A friend of Spider-Man’.”

“Yeah, we’re not making that a thing.” Peter declared and MJ chuckled at that.

“MJ said you were going to tell her what’s going on,” Ned prompted. “So, we’re all ears.” Peter sighed. 

“Okay, long story short...” Peter began. “Nick Fury hijacked our vacation so I could use these clues from this code that only I could crack to find some top-secret intelligence project.”

“Okay, but why you?” MJ asked. 

“Because the code was created by my biological mother.” There was silence for a few seconds as his friends absorbed the bombshell.

“Dude,” Ned muttered. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you talk about your mom.”

“Because she’s not my mom,” Peter stated with a huff. “Not in the ways it matters. Mary was never around. Anything I knew about her came from May and Ben. But now, I have to use this stupid code she left behind to help Fury find this project of hers that she hid.”

“And Mysterio?” Ned asked. “What’s his deal?”

“No clue,” Peter admitted. “Fury either knows nothing or won’t tell me.”

“So,” MJ began, trying to sum up what Peter was saying. “The director of a spy organization hijacked our vacation, made you look at some code your birth mom left behind, and wants you to find some top-secret project while some bad guy keeps showing up?”

“Yep.” MJ gave him a look and Peter sighed. “Yeah, I know. Regardless of who left behind this whole mystery and their relation to me, clearly Mysterio has something to do with all of this. I mean, why else would he show up when Fury first brandished these old files? I’m trying to figure out how it all connects, which is hard with Fury coming to every stop on our trip to make me go search for whatever this code means. Not to mention trying to also enjoy what is supposed to be my vacation.”

“Well, we can’t help you fight the bad guy,” Ned stated. “Or figure out what Nick Fury really wants. But, maybe we can help you when you need to be Spider-Man. I mean, someone has to cover for you with Mr. Harrington and Mr. Dell. We can totally do that, right MJ?”

“There’s totally a conspiracy theory going on here,” MJ noted. “Which is fascinating. But yeah, we can cover for you. That’s what friends of Spider-Man do.”

“She said the thing!” Peter rolled his eyes but smiled. It was nice to have more people on his side, helping him. He had thought he was alone in this, but Peter had forgotten that he had some amazing friends at his side. So Peter could only smile as he looked at Ned and MJ, glad they would have his back.

* * *

“Yeah, just call me when you’ve got something.” Tony moved slowly towards the kitchen of the Compound, wondering whose voice he was hearing. Since he was basically living at the Compound, so Helen, Bruce, and Strange could make sure he was in fact getting better, Tony was learning some interesting things about the building that he owned. 

Most of the Avengers had an open door policy at the place, which meant they were coming and going. Sam and Bucky seemed to fall under that category, as Tony had seen them a few times, but never multiple days in a row. Nat was there a lot, but she would also disappear for a few days at a time. Tony never knew where she went, but he knew better than to ask. Rhodey was there, checking up on him, but he had commitments in Washington and was often leaving to deal with them. Bruce stayed sometimes, but he’d also go off to attend conferences or give lectures, since Professor Hulk was a popular public figure, especially in the scientific community. Helen and Strange were only there to check on him. 

The only people that were at the Compound full-time (besides his family) were Lila and Wanda. Tony was surprised that Wanda didn’t go with Nat when she disappeared to wherever she went, but he had often seen Wanda with Lila. He learned quickly that both Nat and Wanda were very protective of Lila, which wasn’t surprising since they were both so close with Clint. Tony had, several times, seen the two of them talking to Lila in hushed tones. He knew they were trying to get her to see that Clint wasn’t as bad as she seemed to believe he was. But based on the looks on Lila’s face and the more time she spent at the Compound, Tony wasn’t sure it was working.

He turned the corner and wasn’t too surprised to see Lila in the kitchen. What Tony _ was _ surprised to see, was a phone pressed to her ear as she spoke in a hushed tone. 

“Just as soon as you can.” Lila said. “I know. Just do your best. Okay, bye.” She ended the call and sighed. 

Then, Tony cleared his throat.

“Oh, hi Mr. Stark.” Lila greeted, attempting a smile when she noticed him. “Uh, how are you feeling?”

“Better each day.” Tony answered, taking a seat at the kitchen island. “Any chance that was my son you were talking to?”

“Oh, uh...” He gauged Lila’s reaction, noticing a nervousness to her. “No, just a friend from home.”

“Kind of late to be talking to a friend.” Tony pointed out.

“You know how teens are.” Lila shrugged. “Anyways, bye!” She quickly left the kitchen and Tony watched her go, his lips pursed. Maybe Lila was acting odd, but he didn’t know the teenager well enough to know for sure. Tony sighed, deciding to put that out of his mind as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He checked the time and did the math in his head. It was morning in Rome, which meant Peter should be awake and able to answer his call. 

Tony sighed as he dialed his son’s number. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t worried. Even though Peter had insisted that this new bad guy wasn’t a problem, Tony disagreed. This “Mysterio” had shown up in two cities that Peter was in. And Tony didn’t believe in coincidences. Even more concerning was the fact that his son always got himself into situations where he had to do the right thing. And being the only one there to stop this bad guy had Tony worrying about Peter. 

“_Hey, Dad_.” Tony bit back a sigh as he heard his son’s voice. 

“Hey, kid.” Tony greeted with a smile. “I didn’t wake you, did I?”

“_No, I was already up_.” Peter assured. “_We had an early breakfast so we could pack up and hit the road by ten. We’re heading to Spain today_.”

“Sounds like fun.” Tony paused for a moment. “Listen, I know you said this Mysterio guy isn’t an issue, but I was thinking maybe Nat or Rhodey should head over your way to handle it.”

“_Dad, it’s not that big of a deal_.” Tony pursed his lips at that. “_I’ve seen the news report. The guy just floats there. He doesn’t speak, doesn’t really attack, he’s just there. _”

“I still think someone should handle it,” Tony reiterated. “Before it becomes your problem.” Peter was quiet and Tony felt his chest tighten. “Unless, it’s already your problem and you’re just not telling me about it.”

“_Dad, I told you I just want a normal vacation. _ ” Peter insisted. “_Why would I willingly give up my vacation to deal with this guy when someone else could_?” Tony narrowed his eyes, wishing that he had done a video call so he could really look at his son. Peter wasn’t always a great liar, but he was especially bad at it when he was in front of Tony. Over the phone though, Tony was having a hard time determining if his son was being honest. “_Dad, I swear, everything is fine_.”

“I just want you to be okay, kid.”

“_And I am. _ ” Peter promised. “_Are you okay _?”

“I am on the mend,” Tony said. “Helen was saying that we can probably head back to the lake cabin after you get back. Which will be nice, since Morgan has been complaining about missing her room.” Peter chuckled at that. “I miss you, kiddo. And I hope you’re okay, really okay.”

“_I am, Dad, I swear_.” Tony sighed, not sure if he believed that. “_I actually have to get going. We need to get our luggage downstairs to load the bus_.”

“Stay safe and stay on your trip.” Tony said. “Love you, kid.”

“_Love you too, Dad_.” And then the call ended. Tony was no less worried than he had been before. But Peter also sounded fine, happy even. So he just needed to trust that his son was okay and Peter wasn’t getting involved in whatever was happening in Europe. 

He could do that, right?

**Author's Note:**

> [Scream with me on my Tumblr?](http://doctornineandthreequarters.tumblr.com)


End file.
